I'm sure Netflix paid tons in employer contributions to employee income taxes, social security taxes, etc. They probably paid a bunch in sales taxes where they made purchases. Property taxes for data centers, office buildings, etc. So there are many more taxes that everyone pays beyond the income tax.
As others have pointed out, the tax code is immensely complex, but you probably don't need a deep explanation for a $0 income tax bill: previous years' financial performance can carry over into the current year.
As someone once told me: with complexity comes opportunity. Simplifying the tax code, regulations, and laws removes the opportunity for well-funded operations to exploit the existing complexity.
I'm sure Netflix paid tons in employer contributions to employee income taxes, social security taxes, etc. They probably paid a bunch in sales taxes where they made purchases. Property taxes for data centers, office buildings, etc. So there are many more taxes that everyone pays beyond the income tax.
As others have pointed out, the tax code is immensely complex, but you probably don't need a deep explanation for a $0 income tax bill: previous years' financial performance can carry over into the current year.
As someone once told me: with complexity comes opportunity. Simplifying the tax code, regulations, and laws removes the opportunity for well-funded operations to exploit the existing complexity.