Chief Content Officer, Netflix Inc.

Sarandos administers the biggest film and TV budget anywhere – $17 billion a year, roughly double the cost of all Hollywood’s major-studio films in a normal year. Increasingly, that means content produced abroad including its “Squid Game,” a South Korean dystopian drama that became a global sensation. To produce in-house, Netflix bought children’s literary house Roald Dahl Story Co. and spent $469 million for “Knives Out” movie sequels. Self-producing is a necessity since legacy Hollywood distributors retain their content for in-house streaming platforms. Netflix employees went into an uproar over a Dave Chappelle comedy special, but Sarandos stuck by Chapelle. Netflix lost a big number of subscribers in recent months.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 7