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Part 2: Jim Keyes on Becoming CEO of 7-Eleven When They Were $4 Billion in Debt
Part 1: Former 7-Eleven & Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes on Growing Up in Poverty
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In 2007, Jim Keyes took the helm as CEO and chairman of Blockbuster, aiming to revive the struggling video rental giant. Before joining Blockbuster, Keyes spent two decades transforming 7-Eleven, growing it internationally before 7-Eleven Japan acquired the US operations in 2005. Post-7-Eleven, Keyes explored reviving companies like RadioShack and Blockbuster, envisioning innovations such as combining hardware retail with digital content.
A common misconception credits Keyes with rejecting Netflix’s buyout offer; however, he clarifies that Netflix’s 2000 proposal came seven years before his tenure. At the time, Netflix was a debt-ridden DVD mail service valued at just $50 million—Blockbuster officials felt they could replicate the model themselves. Keyes also revealed Blockbuster had a partnership with Enron, which controlled valuable telecommunications bandwidth that could’ve bolstered early streaming efforts. Unfortunately, Enron’s collapse and government restrictions on spectrum allocation hindered streaming innovations, factors contributing to Blockbuster’s eventual decline.
