Netflix’s Animation Friendly Film Chief Dan Lin Ousted Amid Mass Layoffs

Netflix’s executive shakeup has reached the top of its film division, with Dan Lin dismissed days after the company cut about 1,000 employees in a restructuring that also hit animation.

Variety reports, citing multiple sources, that Lin was let go at the start of the weekend. He addressed colleagues in a farewell memo Monday, excerpts of which were published by the magazine. He recalled Bajaria’s advice when he joined: “Be yourself.” He also urged staff to remember the audience’s relationship with film: “To them, movies aren’t about business. They’re about feeling something.”

Netflix offered no immediate comment. His departure follows the firing of chief content officer Bela Bajaria, whom veteran film and television executive Peter Rice is replacing.

Lin joined Netflix in 2024, succeeding Scott Stuber. Before taking the job, he built production company Rideback, whose credits include the animated Lego film franchise, the It adaptations, and the Sherlock Holmes movies. His exit also follows layoffs affecting two senior figures in Netflix’s film operation: Doug Belgrad and independent film executive Sheroum Kim.

As we reported last week, Netflix’s broader cuts affected roughly 6% of its workforce, including adult animation comedy manager Aaron Davidson and original animation manager Dan Evans. The full impact on animation staff remains unclear, but initial reports suggest most cuts would come from other areas of the company.

In a follow-up report published on Monday, Variety says Lin was dismissed despite meeting his mandates to reduce spending and deliver films that connected with subscribers. The outlet describes competing accounts of his departure, including pressure on co-CEO Ted Sarandos to demonstrate growth to Wall Street. It is, perhaps, no coincidence that Netflix’s next quarterly earnings call is scheduled for today, Tuesday, October 20.

For animation, Lin’s involvement extended beyond his background producing the Lego movies. Following up on the Variety report, we asked our sources at the company who confirmed that he typically spent one day each week working with the company’s animation team and helped appoint Hannah Minghella to a leadership role. He also helped persuade company leadership to support more substantial exclusive theatrical windows for films based on family properties.