It has been a little over 1 year since I started working at Netflix. I am a machine learning researcher working on improving recommendations on Netflix homepage. My journey so far has been nothing short of spectacular. Netflix is a very fast paced and a highly dynamic workplace filled with only smart, brilliant and passionate people. Personally, I have not come across any red tape. As Kent Brewster (authored another answer to this question) experienced, there is no political unpleasantness that I too can recall of any.