Netflix lawsuit details scandalous, alcohol-fueled office culture

A sacked Netflix executive has exposed the streaming giant’s controversial, alcohol-centric workplace — detailing a culture fueled by late-night drinks, booze-heavy team offsites, and a CEO with a private bar, according to a new lawsuit.Court documents obtained by The California Post claim that alcohol consumption at company events was “common, openly tolerated, and affirmatively encouraged” to the point where Jeff Shapiro, the chief executive of Eyeline Studios, allegedly purchased alcohol for staff to share on their way to a work event.The revelations emerged as former Eyeline Studios vice president and head of creative, Kevin Baillie, sues the company for giving him the boot from his $1.1 million a year job, after he admitted to colleagues at a work retreat in January he had taken medically prescribed ketamine.At the same retreat, Baillie was encouraged by fellow staff to drink a Guinness while standing on his head, after sharing he had learned the trick from his father-in-law, according to court documents.Netflix launched an investigation into the comments and he was fired in April, with the company’s attorney confirming the “ketamine-therapy issue” was a factor in his termination, according to court documents.But Baillie insists the drug was taken under medical supervision in October and November 2022 at a Santa Barbara clinic, which was prescribed as a treatment following the death of his mother.As the “Pirates of the Caribbean” visual effects team member fights for compensation following his dismissal, scandalous details have emerged about Eyeline Studios’ boozy office culture.

The lawsuit alleged “alcohol consumption was company-sponsored, leadership-modeled and condoned”, with multiple examples of how Jeff Shapiro “set the cultural tone concerning alcohol at the executive level”.The documents claimed Shapiro on one occasion purchased beer at a corner store and brought it to a company car ride to the Visual Effects Society Awards...