(FastCompany.com) — A few years ago, Netflix founder Reed Hastings told analysts in an earnings call, “In the last six months, Blockbuster has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at us.” The following day, Hastings received a large box in the mail from Blockbuster. Inside, he found a kitchen sink. Today, Blockbuster’s brash style continues with its CEO Jim Keyes. The outspoken Blockbuster chief made headlines recently for his pointed jabs at Netflix, arguing the popular subscription-movie service is only good for “older titles and television,” and joking that its library is chock-full of B-flicks like Herbie Goes to Cancun. This isn’t the first time he’s knocked Blockbuster’s online competitor–Keyes has made a habit of deriding the service publicly for years. For example, in a 2008 interview, he cracked, “I’ve been frankly confused by this fascination that everybody has with Netflix…Netflix doesn’t really have or do anything that we can’t or don’t already do ourselves.” Keyes’s attacks are certainly bold, but are they justified? Is his Blockbuster boasting more bravado or business strategy?
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