2022 Walt Disney Company Annual Meeting of Shareholders

[Sirwalterraleigh]

That's really funny. I didnt realize their own employees buy into the fake PR statements from a company that is best buds with the human rights abuse capital of the world, China.

Bob Iger personally wined and dined the president of China for years to get an agreement made to build Disney Shanghai.

If people who oppose this bill opened their eyes to the China partnerships and sweatshops Disney use to make all their products, their "fans" would dwindle.

You always have to “hope” that things will get better with your employee. Very “human”

The problem with TWDC is twofold:
1. Stories every day about how great things used to be with perks
2. When they are making more money…you can SEE it. It’s all over the news and the registers are ringing in your face for many. You just don’t see it on Fridays at home.

 

[Disney Irish]

Disney employees 'hurt' and 'angry' over CEO's response to Florida LGBTQ bill

Employees said they were 'hurt' by Bob Chapek's response to a Florida bill that would limit instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity.

www.latimes.com

Do these employees know what goes on in communist China? How are they so ignorant to what their company does.

This fallout is exactly why companies shouldn't pretend they are woke. The illusion can only last so long when you lie to customers.

Well so far other than headlines this has had no real impact on actual measure the BOD uses, the stock price.

 

[CaptinEO]

Well so far other than headlines this has had no real impact on actual measure the BOD uses, the stock price.

DIS stock isnt so hot over the last 6 months. Then again everythings doing bad as of recent in the market.

 

[CaptinEO]

I’m not sure that’s true, people are aware that Nike, Walmart, etc are all in bed with China and they still shop there. For most things you have no choice but to use companies in bed with China, they might be a little less naive about the “wholesome” Disney but I don’t think it would keep them away.

I think there are a number of delusional fans that actually think the company can do no wrong cause they "are magical".

 

[Disney Irish]

DIS stock isnt so hot over the last 6 months.

This may be true, but its still up over the last 2 years.

Then again everythings doing bad as of recent in the market.

Again true, however over the same time period DIS has performed better than the S&P.

 

[WizardofDestiny123]

It seems that employees/collaborators in many aspects of the company are angry about what's going on, from CMs to showrunners like Dana Terrace to even Alan Menken. What can Disney at this point do to fix this situation, if they can do anything?

My hope is that they issue further statements against the bill (as well as similar bills) and agree to stop sponsoring/donating to anyone who supports anti-LGBT legislation.

In fact, stop donating to politics in general.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Disney really needs to hire some PR experts. Obviously the people Iger employed to manage difficult issues all followed him out the door and those left behind are not exactly the A team.

Every aspect of Disney and Chapek's response to the Florida bill has blown up in their face and just looked too obviously cynical. Now they seem to be at war with the governor of Florida who's going on Fox News criticising "woke" Disney for going along with human rights abuses in China and have LGBTQ+ organisations refusing their donations. So, they've essentially managed to annoy everyone and satisfy no-one.

 

[sedati]

Just as most people I know say that they're going to Disney World or Universal and not "Florida", I think the company needs to keep that distinction. They are "in" Florida, but they are not "of" Florida.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

It is quite a case study on how not to manage a difficult PR issue.

I could see the argument from Chapek that Disney coming out with a big formal statement is ultimately counterproductive for those who oppose the legislation because it sets up exactly the kind of public battle that those who support such legislation want. However, that statement was so poorly worded by referencing "diverse" content and weak on the issue of political donations that it created not just bad publicity but something of a revolt within the company the likes of which I don't remember seeing before. Why not, for example, reference the company's history of supporting LGBTQ+ employees such as the early extension of health benefits, etc rather than Coco and Black Panther?

So, in response, Chapek has done exactly what he said he wouldn't do in the first place which has provoked exactly the sort of reaction he said he was trying to avoid while not going far enough to placate those who were annoyed by the lack of that initial response. Disney has thus single-handedly become either the face of corporate cowardice or an example of liberal corporate activism, depending on which annoys you most. They will be studying this one for years as a "how not to" case study!

 

[Magenta Panther]

What gets me is that employees of Disney seem to think that Disney must support their political beliefs. That Disney is REQUIRED to do so. Yeah? Since when?

All Disney owes them is a paycheck and benefits. That's IT. It strikes me as the height of arrogance to expect more.

I know, I know. That's not the "real world". But it's becoming amusingly (to me) clear that playing real-world games just gets you into a real world of trouble.

You can bet that the vast majority of parents agree with DeSantis' position. I'm not a parent, so I'm more or less indifferent to the issue myself. But I can still see that the basic question is to whether parents can control what their kids learn in school. The idea that they have no say to what a school chooses to teach their kids is, well, kind of appalling. Of COURSE parents would get their backs up over that. There is no way Chapek and others will win by opposing parents' concerns. And so Chapek is in deep Dumbo doo-doo. Plus, you gotta admit that DeSantis does have a point about The Bob Chapek Company moralizing about what should be taught in public schools while doing business with the evil empire that is China. Maybe Bobby boy should be more worried about what's being taught in those Chinese concentration camps, no?

One would hope that this whole debacle would be a lesson to corporations who want to publicly pick political sides and grandstand about it. Who knows, maybe that will happen. Because this situation is a real debacle for Chapek and the company as a whole. It's a lose-lose proposition. And IMO it serves him and his goons right for getting involved in politics in the first place. And ESPECIALLY sexual politics. And for believing that Twitter is a microcosm of America. It isn't. Only a tiny fraction of the U.S. population even uses Twitter. The rest of the country doesn't care about it. The press blows it up to be more influential than it is, because headlines.

So, bottom line: will corporations learn from this? Only if stocks are affected and people don't buy the product. Since boycotts seldom work, frankly, I'm not optimistic...

 

[Crunchie9]

DIS stock isnt so hot over the last 6 months. Then again everythings doing bad as of recent in the market.

It’s the worst performing stock of 2021, and 2022 hasn’t been great…

 

[TsWade2]

i never thought i'd hear some guy rant about critical race theory and hitler in a disney thing

I never heard of that until I've heard that guy's rant critical race theory on Youtube. Yikes!

 

[MisterPenguin]

I never heard of that until I've heard that guy's rant critical race theory on Youtube. Yikes!

I heard all that before... except equating it with Communism.

A Communist country has never been known to marginalize a diverse minority community before. They're so woke!!!

 

[Crunchie9]

I head all that before... except equating it with Communism.

A Communist country has never been known to marginalize a diverse minority community before. They're so woke!!!

Everyone needs to be more like Penn State if you ask me!

 

[Disney Analyst]

What’s happening March 28th? Hearing of an investors event but see nothing online about it.

 

[DCBaker]

What’s happening March 28th? Hearing of an investors event but see nothing online about it.

This was the only mention I found yesterday -

"Guggenheim analyst Michael Morris on Monday trimmed his price target on Walt Disney's (DIS -2%), shares, and said he was keeping a close eye on the company's parks business ahead of a catalyst in Disney's Parks Investor Experience on March 28."

Guggenheim cuts Disney target but stays upbeat on parks ahead of investor event (

Guggenheim analyst Michael Morris on Monday trimmed his price target on Walt Disney's shares, and ahead of a company investor event next week.

seekingalpha.com

 

[Crunchie9]

Disney is doubling down / trying to control the narrative with their newest hire… Obama/Clinton/Biden resume…… global communications … impressive resume.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Disney is doubling down / trying to control the narrative with their newest hire… Obama/Clinton/Biden resume…… global communications … impressive resume.

I think the word you're reaching for is "pandering"...the chick was part of restoring gay marriage in California after the voters there banned it. Ah, "Disney", still not reading the room, are we?

(Again, I'm still of the opinion that "Disney" should stay out of politics altogether. But the leadership there isn't too bright, as it's often proven).

How craven can Chapek be? How much more will he grovel? At the next stockholders' meeting, I hope someone stands up and asks him if he's going to get rid of mens' and womens' restrooms, and make them unisex. Since Disney has banned the terms "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls" from its language, those archaic restroom designations have got to go! God, wouldn't Baldy sweat at that question! Def a popcorn-worthy moment!

 

[Crunchie9]

not a great year.