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

[JoeCamel]

I am not overly savvy when it comes to corporate finances. The quarterly earnings report included a tidbit of Disney buying back some 7 million shares. So why do that rather than retire some of their 11 billion in debt? I am sure there is an answer, could someone on this forum advise me on the why?

The simplistic answer to stock buybacks is that the board and C suite own a lot of stock, they are in contact with funds and equity firms that hold lots and lots more so buying back stock increases their holding's value directly while debt is not a bad thing to have. It allows you to be flexible in where you deploy your capital. Dumping debt will strengthen the balance sheet but the cost of the debt has to be weighed against potential returns it can generate.
The name of the game is please the stockholders and line your own pockets along the way

 

[Jambo Dad]

Shanghai - $5.5B
DCA re-do
2x Galaxy’s Edge ($1 billion each)
Pandora
New Fantasyland
Dream/Fantasy ($1.5 billion combined)
HKDL - $1.4B
Aulani - $800M

That is roughly $12 billion. I’m sure there are other things that add up to $30 billion… right? NextGen? DVC resorts? Do we know how much was spent on WDI research trips to Louisiana?

They were visiting the legendary salt mines of Louisiana of course.

 

[JoeCamel]

They were visiting the legendary salt mines of Louisiana of course.

Beignets on Bourbon Street

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The simplistic answer to stock buybacks is that the board and C suite own a lot of stock, they are in contact with funds and equity firms that hold lots and lots more so buying back stock increases their holding's value directly while debt is not a bad thing to have. It allows you to be flexible in where you deploy your capital. Dumping debt will strengthen the balance sheet but the cost of the debt has to be weighed against potential returns it can generate.
The name of the game is please the stockholders and line your own pockets along the way

Great description…

Or if you want to go Simple: it’s cooking your books

 

[DrummerxDrummer]

Any word on who is being primed to takeover Disney Experiences division to fill the void that Josh is leaving?

 

[JoeCamel]

Any word on who is being primed to takeover Disney Experiences division to fill the void that Josh is leaving?

That would be this thread;

News Thread 'Who Will Replace Josh D'Amaro as Disney Experiences Chairman?'

Feb 3, 2026

Who Will Replace Josh D'Amaro as Disney Experiences Chairman?

Who Will Replace Josh D'Amaro as Disney Experiences Chairman?

www.wdwmagic.com

• wdwmagic
• Replies: 64
• Forum: WDW Parks News, Rumors and Current Events

• 

 

[Dranth]

I am not overly savvy when it comes to corporate finances. The quarterly earnings report included a tidbit of Disney buying back some 7 million shares. So why do that rather than retire some of their 11 billion in debt? I am sure there is an answer, could someone on this forum advise me on the why?

I am sure someone more into finance could give a better answer but, they don't have enough debt for a company of their size to be worrisome. At least currently. I also think the money they do owe was borrowed at really low rates which helps.

Personally I think they are one of the worst uses of company money, but stock buybacks benefit stock holders so tend to be popular with companies these days.

 

[Jambo Dad]

I am sure someone more into finance could give a better answer but, they don't have enough debt for a company of their size to be worrisome. At least currently. I also think the money they do owe was borrowed at really low rates which helps.

Personally I think they are one of the worst uses of company money, but stock buybacks benefit stock holders so tend to be popular with companies these days.

Yes it is. They can inflate their ROI without doing anything constructive.

 

[Jambo Dad]

And Fixed.

View attachment 907059

Top notch!

 

[Jambo Dad]

Top notch!

 

[JD80]

Disney Board Chairman Says Succession Plan Was ‘Done Cleanly’ in Unanimous Vote for Josh D’Amaro

Disney board chair James Gorman says CEO selection was 'done cleanly' and asserts that company is 'extremely undervalued' in Q&A with Variety.

variety.com

Guess the park. Disneyland @mattpeto ?

 

[mattpeto]

Disney Board Chairman Says Succession Plan Was ‘Done Cleanly’ in Unanimous Vote for Josh D’Amaro

Disney board chair James Gorman says CEO selection was 'done cleanly' and asserts that company is 'extremely undervalued' in Q&A with Variety.

variety.com

View attachment 907066

Guess the park. Disneyland @mattpeto ?

Shanghai and I believe Paris will be getting new gates at some point, but I still think Disneyland Forward will be Anaheim's final opportunity for a 3rd gate and they will pull the trigger on it.

 

[bmr1591]

Shanghai and I believe Paris will be getting new gates at some point, but I still think Disneyland Forward will be Anaheim's final opportunity for a 3rd gate and they will pull the trigger on it.

WESTCOT???

I wish.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Fake article - No mention of “turbocharging”.

 

[Tom P.]

Fifth gate at WDW confirmed!

(That's a joke.)

 

[el_super]

Disneyland will not have a third gate. There is no way to make that work financially when the second gate is still struggling when not combined with the first.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

Shanghai - $5.5B
DCA re-do
2x Galaxy’s Edge ($1 billion each)
Pandora
New Fantasyland
Dream/Fantasy ($1.5 billion combined)
HKDL - $1.4B
Aulani - $800M

That is roughly $12 billion. I’m sure there are other things that add up to $30 billion… right? NextGen? DVC resorts? Do we know how much was spent on WDI research trips to Louisiana?

I would say you'd have to account for inflation to see how that would stack up to the current 30 billion goal for WDW, but that spending is also going to be spread out over likely a decade, so I guess this is a good comparison. Though I'd imagine material and labor costs have gone up in a way that doesn't match inflation. I'm not an economist so I have no idea lol

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

Fifth gate at WDW confirmed!

(That's a joke.)

"Disney's Multiverses of Adventure!"
(it's just Avengers Campus, the DCA Avatar Land, another World of Frozen, the Paris Lion King land, and another Star Wars land)

 

[Serpico Jones]

 

[TarzanForever]

Disneyland will not have a third gate. There is no way to make that work financially when the second gate is still struggling when not combined with the first.

Well that would be the case if it wasn’t already been blueprinted and sketched out. There are multiple renditions out there readily available for consumption. The 3rd gate is and will be confirmed and now we just wait to see if it’s also villians or encanto shaped but not formed.