Co-Chief Executive, Netflix

Sarandos presides over Hollywood’s largest program budget at $17 billion annually as the de facto content czar at Netflix. Hits under Sarandos include “Bridgerton,” “The Crown,” “Ted Lasso,” “Stranger Things,” “Squid Game” and Oscar-winning movie “Roma.” Netflix introduced a cheaper advertiser-supported subscription in November to battle growing competition. Other Sarandos challenges are a crackdown on password sharing, developing artificial intelligence for consumer content recommendations and navigation, tiptoeing into sports content and diversifying into video games. Sarandos is prominent in the Oscars-related Academy Museum and the American Film Institute, though Netflix is lukewarm to cinema release for its original movies.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 8