Decoder with Nilay Patel · Thursday, July 9, 2026
Nilay Patel and Peter Kafka touch upon the concept of net neutrality and its significance for content providers versus internet service providers. While Patel recalls Reed Hastings' dismissive stance on net neutrality due to Netflix's scale, he also notes the broader internet culture's initial support for these principles. They acknowledge a disagreement on whether market forces or regulators were more instrumental in preventing the internet from resembling traditional cable TV.
“And you asked him about net neutrality. And he was like, Yeah, it's over. We're big enough. It doesn't matter anymore.”
“And I, that's in many ways, this was a pivotal moment in the history of internet and content.”
“You'll hear us talk a lot about net neutrality in that context.”
“But Peter and I disagree on whether it was regulators or the market that kept the internet from turning back into cable TV in that way.”