Keeper Test

Biological Parallel

African wild dog packs periodically assess each member's hunting contribution—dogs that consistently fail to participate in kills or lag during pursuits get abandoned when the pack relocates. This isn't cruelty; it's survival math: carrying non-contributors when prey is scarce dooms everyone. The 'keeper test' is binary and ongoing: would we fight to keep this dog if another pack wanted them? Netflix's framework mirrors this ruthless calculus: in competitive ecosystems, the question isn't 'are they adequate' but 'would we fight to keep them'—because mediocrity is a slow-motion starvation event.