News Josh D’Amaro Named Next CEO of The Walt Disney Company

[Mr. Sullivan]

It is literally the only possible way to move forward. We are in a second gilded age, read about how we got out of the first one

I don’t disagree it needs to be done. But there is currently no one trying to do it, which was my point.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

It is literally the only possible way to move forward. We are in a second gilded age, read about how we got out of the first one

It may be the only way to get out of a second gilded age, but it doesn't mean it's going to happen anytime soon or ever. I think the point is that there is no sign of any political will at present.

Josh clearly has game Chappie didn't, lets see how it plays out over the next year

Indeed we have yet to see how things play out, though this transition certainly feels a lot more positive than the last one. I do think the position of Disney CEO is somewhat unique as a quasi-political role due to the connection people have to the company and its role as an institution, which I don't think is the case with any other major entertainment company. At least D'Amaro seems to understand and be good at that part of the job. We'll see about the rest.

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

It may be the only way to get out of a second gilded age, but it doesn't mean it's going to happen anytime soon or ever. I think the point is that there is no sign of any political will at present.


Indeed we have yet to see how things play out, though this transition certainly feels a lot more positive than the last one. I do think the position of Disney CEO is somewhat unique as a quasi-political role due to the connection people have to the company and its role as an institution, which I don't think is the case with any other major entertainment company. At least D'Amaro seems to understand and be good at that part of the job. We'll see about the rest.

If nothing else Josh is a proven good communicator with the public and media which was one of Chapek’s biggest faults, if not his absolute biggest. He couldn’t stop shoving his own foot in his mouth. It was rare Iger screwed up that majorly on the communication front (it happened, but not often) and Josh seems to have taken way more after Iger than Chapek on that.

 

[_caleb]

Nice strawman, and it also rings as untrue. Attendance is way way down from 2019 and hasn’t recovered, all while Orlando travel continues to skyrocket.

It’s pretty clear that many past guests haven’t returned. Why isn’t as clear, but pricing and costs and a less pleasant experience cannot be discounted.

Strawman? I'm not talking about the general public. I'm talking about members of this site who said these cuts were the last straw for them.

I'm not arguing that people should settle for less, I think we should draw our lines and stick to them. I, for one, have not been back since the prices shot up and the services began their sharp decline.

 

[HMF]

Courtesy of who though? It doesn't seem like anyone's making any big moves in this department.

I think the government may be paying closer attention to the size of many of these companies in the near future.

 

[HMF]

Ideally companies wouldn't be allowed to become too large, but enforcement hasn't been much of a thing since the 1980s let alone new laws.

Precisely.

 

[HMF]

Josh clearly has game Chappie didn't, lets see how it plays out over the next year

Josh will likely be far better than Chapek but that is like comparing the most incompetent person on Earth to a person who does very misguided things.

 

[HMF]

Nice strawman, and it also rings as untrue. Attendance is way way down from 2019 and hasn’t recovered, all while Orlando travel continues to skyrocket.

It’s pretty clear that many past guests haven’t returned. Why isn’t as clear, but pricing and costs and a less pleasant experience cannot be discounted.

I would like to think the reason people are not going anymore is the same reason I am not going anymore.

 

[HMF]

I don’t disagree it needs to be done. But there is currently no one trying to do it, which was my point.

Currently is the key word there.

 

[HMF]

It may be the only way to get out of a second gilded age, but it doesn't mean it's going to happen anytime soon or ever. I think the point is that there is no sign of any political will at present.

I have a feeling that we are on the cusp of major social change. Most people (especially younger people.) aren't really happy with the current "status quo" for obvious reasons.

 

[monothingie]

You all keep talking about Josh like he's some secretly evil guy meanwhile CMs really love him. And believe me if you start hanging around enough CMs (I'm friends with many) you'll realize very quickly that they hate company leadership more than just about anyone on this forum does, and a lot more passionately too. If they like Josh, to me that says quite a bit, and CMs have been very happy with his taking the wheel.

They also "loved" Bob...what's your point?

All of the changes which have led to higher pricing, removal of fan favorite things in the parks, diminishing of perks, services, and entertainment have gone through Josh.

He looks great on Instagram and the carefully crafted persona he's developed makes low-information dusters think he's great.

Just remember that when you're paying $49.95 for a lightning lane for the new cars ride.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

There is a really weird love for this guy that goes well beyond an intense parasocial thing. He may be a lovely man and a decent person - He probably is! And he seems to be able to exhibit a lot of empathy.

That’s all great. He was also the Parks head when they did away with DME, introduced park reservations, restricted park hopping, increased ticket prices almost twofold, introduced paid Fastpass, introduced ILL, leaned heavily into variable pricing, greatly expanded the hard ticket events, and a bevy of other initiatives that have made the guest experience more expensive and more unpleasant.

Agreed….my oldest DD was in the CP several years ago, and the CM’s all liked Josh and most found him to be more of a “team” guy than a company guy…

Having worked in retail management for over 30 years, time & time again, when a senior SM was promoted to DM, they ALL forgot what is was like on our side of the fence, the trenches, because they now have to espouse the company line…

As many others have said, where he only had to answer to Bob, he now has a plethora of new people to answer to…BoD, banks & Wall St…very early in my career I was taught “nice guys make lousy bosses”…we’ll see in a short time if the rank & file CMs still hold him in high regard…

The honeymoon is now on…let’s see if it’s a marriage made in heaven, or one destined for divorce court…only time will tell.

 

[HMF]

Agreed….my oldest DD was in the CP several years ago, and the CM’s all liked Josh and most found him to be more of a “team” guy than a company guy…

Having worked in retail management for over 30 years, time & time again, when a senior SM was promoted to DM, they ALL forgot what is was like on our side of the fence, the trenches, because they now have to espouse the company line…

As many others have said, where he only had to answer to Bob, he now has a plethora of new people to answer to…BoD, banks & Wall St…very early in my career I was taught “nice guys make lousy bosses”…we’ll see in a short time if the rank & file CMs still hold him in high regard…

The honeymoon is now on…let’s see if it’s a marriage made in heaven, or one destined for divorce court…only time will tell.

Again, I don't know enough about D'Amaro to really have a real firm opinion yet. We shall see what Happens.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Agreed….my oldest DD was in the CP several years ago, and the CM’s all liked Josh and most found him to be more of a “team” guy than a company guy…

Having worked in retail management for over 30 years, time & time again, when a senior SM was promoted to DM, they ALL forgot what is was like on our side of the fence, the trenches, because they now have to espouse the company line…

As many others have said, where he only had to answer to Bob, he now has a plethora of new people to answer to…BoD, banks & Wall St…very early in my career I was taught “nice guys make lousy bosses”…we’ll see in a short time if the rank & file CMs still hold him in high regard…

The honeymoon is now on…let’s see if it’s a marriage made in heaven, or one destined for divorce court…only time will tell.

When the next labor contract is up for renewal (Q4 2027, I think?), and the dust settles on that, I wonder how well he’ll be viewed. That’s one place specifically where the rubber will meet the road.

 

[ChrisFL]

I wanted to commemorate this event:

 

[Captain Barbossa]

I wanted to commemorate this event: View attachment 912932

Needs some toilet paper and graffiti that says “JOSH IS KING!”

 

[Tha Realest]

When the next labor contract is up for renewal (Q4 2027, I think?), and the dust settles on that, I wonder how well he’ll be viewed. That’s one place specifically where the rubber will meet the road.

Stockholm Syndrome will be in full effect

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Needs some toilet paper and graffiti that says “JOSH IS KING!”

And sweaters flying instead of those pennant/flags…

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

They also "loved" Bob...what's your point?

They didn’t. CMs broadly were either indifferent to him or openly disliked him, especially in his second tenure. They were briefly excited to have him back after Chapek because they hated him more, but that doesn’t mean they loved Bob.

There were pockets that had a parasocial relationship with him as discussed earlier, but no in the overall Bob was not that popular with CMs. I encourage you to actually talk to some CMs once in awhile because every time you try and speak about them you miss the mark majorly.

 

[monothingie]

They didn’t. CMs broadly were either indifferent to him or openly disliked him, especially in his second tenure. They were briefly excited to have him back after Chapek because they hated him more, but that doesn’t mean they loved Bob.

Yeah, so them all fawning over him when he came back to rid them of the scourge of Chapek was just fake…right…

There were pockets that had a parasocial relationship with him as discussed earlier, but no in the overall Bob was not that popular with CMs. I encourage you to actually talk to some CMs once in awhile because every time you try and speak about them you miss the mark majorly.

Which cast members? The ones that are getting paid less than Walmart associates? The ones who need government assistance to buy food? The ones who have to sleep in their cars because they can’t afford a place to live?

Most CM don’t have some weird obsession with the CEO of the company.

I Just wanna point out also that CEO Josh with his extra tight pants had a direct hand in making sure CM get paid the way they do…you know to make sure those quarterlies made Bob look good to his Wall Street buds.



For most cast members it’s just a job that needs to pay the bills. They could care less who the CEO is.