Todd Yellen, a Netflix veteran who led streaming product teams covering functionality from user interface to pricing, has left the company.
Yellen, who has worked at the company for nearly 17 years, will remain at Netflix until September to help designate his successor. The exec is credited with a range of developments, including leading the creation of the Netflix “tudum” audio brand and promoting the company’s personalized content recommendations.
Yellen said he plans to pursue potential film and television projects beginning in the fall. Prior to joining Netflix, he wrote and directed a feature-length family film Brother’s Shadow (which is Available to stream on Netflix) and a short film “The Eternal Pitch”. He has also worked as a documentary, depicting political turmoil in places such as Tibet and Myanmar.
Yellen said in a statement provided to diverse. “Year after year, it has become impossible to walk away from the allure of revolutionizing how movies and TV shows are discovered and consumed, let alone the opportunity to advance video storytelling. This was a hell of a decision but life is short and I want to go back to my roots in filmmaking.”
Yellen’s departure was announced in an internal memo to Netflix employees on Thursday. Joined Netflix in January 2006 – before it launched its first streaming service – as Director of Product Management for Personalization.
Since being appointed Vice President of Product in 2014, he has overseen the Netflix teams responsible for the overall customer experience including growth, pricing, payments, automated acquisition marketing, content discovery algorithms, and user interfaces across a variety of devices.
“Tod has been at the heart of our product strategy for nearly 17 years — helping to develop key innovations such as our personalized recommendations and the ‘tudum voice’ that defines the brand,” Greg Peters, Netflix COO and Chief Product Officer, said in a statement. One of the most consistently active people I’ve worked with – a true champion of our customers, our product, our content and our culture. We wish him all the best in the future.”
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