3 weeks ago
Ted Sarandos: No Data Could Have Predicted Squid Game's Success
The boss of Netflix, Ted Sarandos, said nobody could have guessed how popular the show Squid Game would become.
Even with lots of data and numbers, he said, no one could have predicted it.
A man named Hwang Dong-hyuk created Squid Game.
He first tried to make it as a movie and kept getting turned down for 12 years.
Then he turned it into a show for Netflix, which made it cost twice as much as any other Korean show.
Netflix's clever computer system saw that people were watching many episodes and showed the show to viewers all over the world.
In just three days, everyone on Netflix could see it, and a huge number of people loved it.
Mr. Sarandos said people should not use data alone to decide what shows to make, but data can help guess how big a show could be.
Squid Game became the most-watched show in Netflix history.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said no amount of data would have told the company to make Squid Game.
Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk spent 12 years trying to sell Squid Game as a feature film before adapting it into a Netflix series.
The show was twice as expensive as any hour of Korean television ever produced.
Netflix's recommendation algorithm surfaced the show to viewers worldwide within three days based on viewing behavior.
Sarandos said any big creative decision made purely on data would be 'a fool's call,' though data can help estimate a show's potential.
- Who
- Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, in conversation with Anant Goenka of The Indian Express Group, discussing Squid Game creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk.
- What
- Sarandos said no data could have predicted Squid Game's global success and warned against making creative decisions based purely on data.
- Where
- At Express Adda, a media event hosted by The Indian Express Group (specific location not stated).
- When
- The event date is not stated in the article; Squid Game premiered on Netflix on September 17, 2021, and its third and final season was released in June 2025.
- Why
- To explain why data cannot predict breakout creative hits and how viewer behavior and Netflix's recommendation algorithm drove the show's global popularity.
Key facts
- Speaker
- Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix
- Show
- Squid Game
- Creator/Director
- Hwang Dong-hyuk
- Development History
- Developed as a feature film for over 12 years before becoming a Netflix series
- Production Cost
- Twice as expensive as any hour of Korean television ever produced
- Premiere Date
- September 17, 2021
- Final Season
- Third and final season released in June 2025
- Record
- Most-watched series in Netflix history; expanded into live experiences, gaming and merchandise
Quotes
Ted Sarandos
Netflix co‑CEO, Ted Sarandos
“"Nothing in the data would say to make Squid Game. Certainly not for a global audience."”
indianexpress.com







