Netflix just dropped $587 million in cash on a 16-person startup. That works out to roughly $36.7 million per employee, which is either an absurd premium or the price of admission for AI tools that could reshape how films get made.
The company in question is InterPositive, an AI filmmaking startup founded by Ben Affleck in 2022 that has been operating in stealth mode ever since. Netflix disclosed the acquisition in its Q2 2026 Form 10-Q filing on July 17, with the deal having quietly closed back in March.
What InterPositive actually does
The startup’s AI tools are trained on production dailies, the raw footage captured during a day of shooting. Rather than creating new content, the technology targets post-production bottlenecks: fixing missing shots, adjusting lighting inconsistencies, handling continuity errors, and enhancing visual effects.
Affleck is joining Netflix as a senior advisor, tasked with promoting AI adoption among creators.
