Netflix paid over $500million in cash for Ben Affleck’s AI company

A federal filing has revealed that Netflix shelled out over $500million in cash for Ben Affleck‘s mysterious AI start-up InterPositive.

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Back in March, and less than a week after dropping out of the bidding for Warner Bros Discovery, Netflix acquired the AI firm founded by The Rip actor Affleck, with a Bloomberg estimate putting the figure at $600million.

While the streamer didn’t comment on that report, the price was disclosed on Friday (July 17) in an SEC filing that detailed that Netflix had paid $587 million for InterPositive, in cash. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the disclosure was made in the company’s Form 10-Q report.

Affleck is the sole founder of InterPositive, which claims to “blend artistry with technology to craft bold visual stories that connect”, according to its website. “I knew I had a responsibility to my peers and our industry, to protect the power of human creativity and the people behind it. In creating InterPositive, I sought to do just that,” Affleck wrote of the company in a post at the time.

Netflix disclosed in an SEC filing Friday that it paid $587 million for InterPositive, Ben Affleck’s mysterious AI company, in cash. https://t.co/sES9q260xb

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 18, 2026

“From the invention of the moving image to the transition to digital, from motion capture to virtual production, technology has evolved alongside the artists who use it. Our shared commitment to continuing this legacy makes joining together a natural next step, in addition to Netflix’s decades of experience applying and scaling technology responsibly.”

Per Variety, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said on the company’s earnings call this week that about 300 productions currently use AI in their process, mostly in post-production.

The contentious technology has continued to divide creatives across music and film, with everyone from Backrooms director Kane Parsons to Pope Leo XIV condemning the use of the technology.

Martin Scorsese has received criticism for endorsing an AI firm for the purposes of storyboarding, while Jodie Foster claimed the Brad Pitt film F1 was created by AI in a defence of the technology (F1 has no confirmed use of AI in its production).

Recently, controversial AI “actress” Tilly Norwood was announced as making its feature debut.