Ted Sarandos' Chappelle response prompts plans for trans employee walkout at Netflix

As noted by The Verge, Sarandos’ efforts to smooth the Chappelle situation have largely served only to inflame the tensions between the company and its trans employees. The co-CEO issued an internal letter last week that stated bluntly that The Closer will be remaining on the company’s servers. It also asserted that, in Netflix’s eyes, the special didn’t cross the line into inciting hate, despite the links between rhetoric attacking trans people and actual physical violence.

Sarandos also noted—in what many readers have taken as a telling digression—that Chappelle’s previous special, Sticks And Stones, “is our most watched, stickiest and most award-winning stand-up to date.” Sarandos later issued a second memo, which carried with it a strong “love it or leave it, huh?” vibe:

Our hope is that you can be hugely inspired by entertaining the world, while also living with titles you strongly believe have no place on Netflix. This will not be the last title that causes some of you to wonder if you can still love Netflix. I sincerely hope that you can.

The Verge also obtained internal messaging from the trans employee resource group organizing the walkout. “Our leadership has shown us they do not uphold the values to which we are held,” the message asserts. “Between the numerous emails and non-answers that have been given, we have been told explicitly that we somehow cannot understand the nuance of certain content.”