News The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors Extends Robert A. Iger’s Contract as CEO Through 2026

[WaltsTreasureChest]

I just don't see it in the big picture, when people look at his legacy 20 years from now. Your feelings and opinions are valid, but feel like macro issues when one zooms out. A lot of this stuff will be washed away as the company further changes, new decisions are made, and distance/time grows fondness.

I look at Eisner. He was basically ousted in disgrace at the time, shunned by many, seen as a once great CEO who had fallen hard, yet time has made many soften their views on him and his legacy.

I suspect if Iger had never returned to try and at least create the facade of cleaning up his mistake of Chapek, setting the company back up on a path to success under a new leader, his legacy would be greatly tarnished 20 years from now. I think what has happened from return to now has likely made him feel more confident.

Again time will tell, but if I look at this from his perspective, I am sure he's leaving feeling much better now than before.

I loved Eisner

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I just don't see it in the big picture, when people look at his legacy 20 years from now. Your feelings and opinions are valid, but feel like macro issues when one zooms out. A lot of this stuff will be washed away as the company further changes, new decisions are made, and distance/time grows fondness.

I look at Eisner. He was basically ousted in disgrace at the time, shunned by many, seen as a once great CEO who had fallen hard, yet time has made many soften their views on him and his legacy.

I suspect if Iger had never returned to try and at least create the facade of cleaning up his mistake of Chapek, setting the company back up on a path to success under a new leader, his legacy would be greatly tarnished 20 years from now. I think what has happened from return to now has likely made him feel more confident.

Again time will tell, but if I look at this from his perspective, I am sure he's leaving feeling much better now than before.

Possible, will be interesting to see. Your point with Eisner is spot on, I loved his first decade of top notch work with Wells, hated most of the value engineering he did post EuroDisney struggling. I have a much better opinion of him now than I did when he left though, time tends to help us remember the pros while overlooking the cons.

I also think it helps to have the next CEO make bad decisions, it makes you look better in comparison, in 5 years we’ll likely be complaining about Josh and missing the Iger years (while nostalgically thinking of the 2010s).

 

[Disney Analyst]

I loved Eisner

Doesn’t change the fact he was ousted in disgrace at the time.

 

[WaltsTreasureChest]

Doesn’t change the fact he was ousted in disgrace at the time.

Yes. I can imagine Roy Disney hating Iger with deeper despair also.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I loved Eisner

Great beginning, bad end, I think over time we just focus on the good.

It’s ironic that I think Iger improved all of Eisner’s “half day” parks while simultaneously making all his amazing resorts worse.

I think Disney CEOs need a term limit, they seem to do great things for a decade before losing their edge and shifting focus only to the bottom line.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Great beginning, bad end, I think over time we just focus on the good.

It’s ironic that I think Iger improved all of Eisner’s “half day” parks while simultaneously making all his amazing resorts worse.

I think Disney CEOs need a term limit, they seem to do great things for a decade before losing their edge and shifting focus only to the bottom line.

I also think there’s a huge difference in the economic environment between 1984, 2005, and today. Disney isn’t an outlier, this is arguably the inevitable outcome for most major companies at this point in time, regardless of who’s at the top.

Short-term returns is the expectation under the current state of capitalism.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I also think there’s a huge difference in the economic environment between 1984, 2005, and today. Disney isn’t an outlier, this is arguably the inevitable outcome for most major companies at this point in time, regardless of who’s at the top.

Short-term returns is the expectation under the current state of capitalism.

I think it’s a personal change rather than a system change, unbridled capitalism has been front and center for decades, I think when people get hired their heads are filled with dreams and goals, a decade later and that focus has shifted to money and power. I don’t think that’s limited to CEOs either, power changes people, many people start their careers wanting to “better” the world, then they get some power, and the more power they get the more they seem to want to hold on to it at all costs.

People get hired for being visionaries, they turn into corporate overlords concerned with short term returns because that’s how they stay in power.

 

[parksandtravel]

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

…a phrase containing “split ya” comes to mind…

 

[WaltsTreasureChest]

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I also think there’s a huge difference in the economic environment between 1984, 2005, and today. Disney isn’t an outlier, this is arguably the inevitable outcome for most major companies at this point in time, regardless of who’s at the top.

Short-term returns is the expectation under the current state of capitalism.

The primary reason why Disney is where it is is because they never took the bait and followed their own model.

That’s how you get unique appeal and set the market on your terms.

Corporate rat race yields that advantage

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Point of order…
20 years in outside television
10 years of doing absolutely nothing after acquisition
20 years of chasing his own legend that doesn’t exist…

If anyone expects me not to keep being honest…best put the block on right now.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Doesn’t change the fact he was ousted in disgrace at the time.

And now is being treated like the People’s champion…which was never really not how it was Gonna end up. Déjà vu over again is a standard part of Disney fandom

Yes. I can imagine Roy Disney hating Iger with deeper despair also.

He would have been all over him by 2015. There is zero doubt about that

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I just don't see it in the big picture, when people look at his legacy 20 years from now. Your feelings and opinions are valid, but feel like macro issues when one zooms out. A lot of this stuff will be washed away as the company further changes, new decisions are made, and distance/time grows fondness.

I look at Eisner. He was basically ousted in disgrace at the time, shunned by many, seen as a once great CEO who had fallen hard, yet time has made many soften their views on him and his legacy.

I suspect if Iger had never returned to try and at least create the facade of cleaning up his mistake of Chapek, setting the company back up on a path to success under a new leader, his legacy would be greatly tarnished 20 years from now. I think what has happened from return to now has likely made him feel more confident.

Again time will tell, but if I look at this from his perspective, I am sure he's leaving feeling much better now than before.

Iger is gonna be ripped apart and burned in effigy starting in 5…4…3….2…

Because that’s how this Disney thang rolls.

Deserved? Not entirely…had some positive ideas even if the execution falls short.

Two big ones: the collapse of MCU and utter destruction of LFL.

MCU is not quite fair because they just oversaturated and made bad judgement calls about the market. That wasn’t intentional.

LFL?…our little brother Star Wars?

…yeah no quarter. Because they made no attempt to learn it and didn’t listen to the pulse. Fandom is like a body politic…there has always been “rules”
That one is a guarantee…cause after all…it is me and 4 other angry Xers in the basement

 

[Dranth]

Two big ones: the collapse of MCU and utter destruction of LFL.

MCU is not quite fair because they just oversaturated and made bad judgement calls about the market. That wasn’t intentional.

LFL?…our little brother Star Wars?

I am honestly not sure anyone could have maintained the MCU where at was, but it certainly took a dive post End Game and hasn't recovered.

As for LFL, Disney didn't make it better, but they were dumping trash into theaters long before Disney ever took over. Sadly, Dis just continued that trend. One positive, they did manage to pull off a few good seasons of TV here and there including the best Star Wars content since the early 80s.

 

[_caleb]

I also think there’s a huge difference in the economic environment between 1984, 2005, and today. Disney isn’t an outlier, this is arguably the inevitable outcome for most major companies at this point in time, regardless of who’s at the top.

Short-term returns is the expectation under the current state of capitalism.

I agree. And I think that push for short-term results is what's hurting the parks and movies.

I'm sure many will say it's way too late for this, but I think Disney would do well to think more like a scrappy startup than one of the biggest companies in the world: long-term investments, taking risks, and staying in tune with fans.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

As for LFL, Disney didn't make it better, but they were dumping trash into theaters long before Disney ever took over. Sadly, Dis just continued that trend. One positive, they did manage to pull off a few good seasons of TV here and there including the best Star Wars content since the early 80s.

That’s the sin…the opportunity to redirect it was on a platter

They could have achieved it with 10 Minutes research and a 1 hour conversation…WITH ME!!

Hell…I would’ve done it for free.

The psychology behind its success wasn’t that hard.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I agree. And I think that push for short-term results is what's hurting the parks and movies.

I'm sure many will say it's way too late for this, but I think Disney would do well to think more like a scrappy startup than one of the biggest companies in the world: long-term investments, taking risks, and staying in tune with fans.

I agree - it's hurting many companies this mentality.

I saw it in a major (once major?) Canadian restaurant I worked for. As soon as it was acquired and put under a big corporate umbrella, you saw the ethos of a once local brand turn country wide chain trying to match others vs chart their own course, and watering down everything that once made it unique and special.

 

[UNCgolf]

Great beginning, bad end, I think over time we just focus on the good.

It’s ironic that I think Iger improved all of Eisner’s “half day” parks while simultaneously making all his amazing resorts worse.

I think Disney CEOs need a term limit, they seem to do great things for a decade before losing their edge and shifting focus only to the bottom line.

I think Iger's DHS is less interesting than Eisner's Disney-MGM. They are both "half day" parks, but while the DHS attraction lineup is stronger (although I personally don't like most of them), it's generally worse in other areas.

EPCOT is far worse than it was in the early 1990s, but Eisner also downgraded EPCOT.

 

[MR.Dis]

Iger is gonna be ripped apart and burned in effigy starting in 5…4…3….2…

Because that’s how this Disney thang rolls.

Deserved? Not entirely…had some positive ideas even if the execution falls short.

Two big ones: the collapse of MCU and utter destruction of LFL.

MCU is not quite fair because they just oversaturated and made bad judgement calls about the market. That wasn’t intentional.

LFL?…our little brother Star Wars?

…yeah no quarter. Because they made no attempt to learn it and didn’t listen to the pulse. Fandom is like a body politic…there has always been “rules”
That one is a guarantee…cause after all…it is me and 4 other angry Xers in the basement

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Eisner in the end was just plain bad. Unfortunately, so was Iger. I agree with much of the above post. The early acquisitions should of set Disney up with years of great success. The purchase of Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel have made billions for Disney - not just movie receipts but also merchandising. These IP's have been so horribly miss managed. The purchase of Fox turned out to be a bridge too far. Yet 20 years from now there will be those who will wax poetic on the great Iger era, while trashing how horrible D'Amaro has become. Rinse and repeat.