Netflix Denies $7M Kamala Harris Donation Amidst Backlash, Clarifies Position

Some days ago, rumours filtered in that Netflix donated a whopping sum of $7 million towards the presidential campaign of the US vice president, Kamala Harris which has however sparked public outrage.

The streaming giant had initially made available a documentary and fundraising event as a result of claimed shared values and stance on social justice which didn’t go down well with subscribers and critics faulting the actions of the organisation.

The rumour which has, however, been a major cause of concern over a few days had made the Netflix head, Reed Hastings, claim that the donation is a personal one and not affiliated with Netflix and that the donation is not towards the presidential campaign. Moreover, Reed had stepped down as the Netflix CEO in 2023.

The feedback the rumours had, had a devastating effect on the organisation as it lost a large number of revenues due to a rumoured Facebook post claiming that Netflix donated $7 million to the presidential campaign of Harris which was however countered as untrue by Netflix. Here is the Facebook post “Netflix just donated $7 million to Kamala, BYE BYE Netflix! Cancel your subscription today,”

The claim had made its way to X, TikTok, Instagram, and in Spanish after Joe Biden’s end of reelection to endorse Kamala Harris.

Harris has recently received a large sum amounting to Millions of Dollars as of June 30, 2024, but didn’t receive any funds from Netflix or its political committee.

The backlash of the donation began with some persons circulating news of the need to cancel their subscription to the media organisation due to the rumoured donations.

Fact Check:

A Spokesman for Netflix has responded in an email that the Claims were untrue as the
Netflix stock did not decrease by 40 per cent since the July 23rd report against Reed Hastings
donations.

However, in another development, Netflix has been criticised for reversing its earlier support
for the presidential candidate due to customer feedback and the company’s stance on listening
to its customers. With some praising them for their action, others criticised them for bowing
to pressure.

Here are various reactions concerning the reversed support.;

A user replied, “Good they get what they deserve”.

Another commented, “See what is going against the grain cost.”