Susan Rice will step down from the board of directors of the streaming giant Netflix to join the administration of President-elect Joe Biden.
“We are grateful to Susan Rice for her many contributions on our board and congratulate her on her return to public service,” said Netflix chairman and co-CEO Reed Hastings in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Rice, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and national security advisor to President Barack Obama, joined the Netflix board in March of 2018. Netflix has not added a new director since Rice, Eutelsat CEO Rodolphe Belmer and Axel Springer CEO Mathias Dopfner joined in 2018. It is not clear whether Rice’s seat will be filled.
On Thursday, Biden announced that Rice would join his administration as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, which develops and oversees the administration’s domestic policy efforts, excluding national security and economic matters.
Even with Rice’s exit, Netflix still has a number of connections to the Obama administration and incoming Biden administration. Most significantly, the ex-president and former First Lady Michelle Obama have a production deal with the streamer through their Higher Ground Productions studio.
In addition, Nicole Avant, who was U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas from 2009-2011 and a bundler for Biden’s 2020 campaign, is married to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.
