The programming talent myth

The thing I find interesting about Netflix's hard line is, what determines "above average"? If they have, say, 2000 employees, then they fire anyone average or below, in theory they just fired 1001 of their employees. Now out of those 999 left, they suddenly have a new average, and they would have to fire another 500 to meet their new quota.

I realize it's not that simple, but I think it's more of a hiring tactic than anything else. Anyone with the slightest hint of self-doubt won't even bother applying to Netflix or responding to their recruiters, and they end up with only Alpha-types who can both demonstrate their talent and feel good about their abilities. In some ways that's a good thing, but it also seems to me that they end up weeding out more empathetic potential employees. A large company like Netflix might be able to get by with a bunch of "brogrammer" types for a while, but eventually they will need the fresh perspective of someone who doesn't see the world the same way they all do. Unfortunately, that personality type doesn't fit in with the "we're all rock stars and you all suck!" attitude they put forth.