News Chapek FIRED, Iger New CEO

[CaptinEO]

It's kind of you to think of me. I'm literally in the middle of unpacking and organizing stuff in my new house in a new state, and had no idea this was happening before logging on here with a glass of Malbec and two aspirin (moving is a pain, even when Bekins does most of it!).

I don't have much to say that hasn't already been said by many of us longtime fans. In short, this is GREAT news because it means Bob Chapek has left...

Mr. Chapek was a clueless and charmless dork who swam way out into the deep end of Showmanship when he should have stayed in the shallow end of Merchandising where he belonged.

I can only assume that the Board begged Mr. Iger to return temporarily and save the sinking ship, and to begin a 12 month process of vetting and sourcing a new leadership team to fix the Walt Disney Company.

Shades of 1983, if I were to be optimistic.

It's funny they bring back the guy who selected Chapek to find the next CEO. I don't know what result they expect besides another clueless businessman.

 

[CaptinEO]

Unconfirmed reports that Chapek was seen signing autographs in front of Splash Mountain today.

 

[TP2000]

It's funny they bring back the guy who selected Chapek to find the next CEO. I don't know what result they expect besides another clueless businessman.

This whole thing is a giant mess. I can't think of any other situation like it in recent American business. Can you?

The Board of Directors deserves a big chunk of blame here. They're looking more and more like the Soviet Politburo rubber stamping things in the dead of night in the waning days before the Soviet collapse.

But then, GM CEO Mary Barra is on the Disney Board, and look at what a dysfunctional mess General Motors has been under her watch! She also rivals Chapek for Least Personable CEO award.

Firing Chapek suddenly and bringing Iger back in a panic over the weekend is not something that inspires great confidence after the surprise wears off.

 

[lazyboy97o]

He was definitely doing something outside of
the earnings report they weren’t happy with. I would love to have heard that call to Iger. He was a definitely-not-returning-home kind of guy. So I would love to know the one thing that swayed him to come back.

Iger spent years “reluctantly” signing extensions because he wouldn’t choose a successor. What got him back was getting to play hero on a bigger scale after nobody else called him.

 

[jpeden]

Latest dirt:

https://puck.news/disneys-bob-vs-bob-blame-game/

For those who can't read and want to, let me know directly and I can slide you something.

I’d love to read this. Send away.

 

[JustInTime]

Iger spent years “reluctantly” signing extensions because he wouldn’t choose a successor. What got him back was getting to play hero on a bigger scale after nobody else called him.

Ehh. Still would like to have heard that phone call.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Iger spent years “reluctantly” signing extensions because he wouldn’t choose a successor. What got him back was getting to play hero on a bigger scale after nobody else called him.

I think ego was definitely involved but I suspect boredom and the challenge also factored in. Iger has more money than he could spend if he tried so I doubt the offer had anything to do with it.

He was probably sitting at home bored when the phone rang and he jumped at the challenge. People like Iger that rise to the top are usually workaholics that thrive on the challenge more than the money.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I think ego was definitely involved but I suspect boredom and the challenge also factored in. Iger has more money than he could spend if he tried so I doubt the offer had anything to do with it.

He was probably sitting at home bored when the phone rang and he jumped at the challenge. People like Iger that rise to the top are usually workaholics that thrive on the challenge more than the money.

Where did I say anything about money?

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Where did I say anything about money?

You didn’t, I was just expounding on your thought that it was about being the savior. I think the challenge was the incentive, nothing else.

Many have asked/wondered ”what the offer” was, I agree with you it’s about the job, not the incentives.

 

[fgmnt]

Iger spent years “reluctantly” signing extensions because he wouldn’t choose a successor. What got him back was getting to play hero on a bigger scale after nobody else called him.

what's that old saying, you never want to be the guy that replaces the guy, you want to replace the guy who replaces the guy?

 

[TP2000]

Iger spent years “reluctantly” signing extensions because he wouldn’t choose a successor. What got him back was getting to play hero on a bigger scale after nobody else called him.

Bingo!

Perfectly said.

 

[TP2000]

He was probably sitting at home bored when the phone rang and he jumped at the challenge. People like Iger that rise to the top are usually workaholics that thrive on the challenge more than the money.

I don't think money had much to do with it (except for keeping Willow a happy lady).

But I do agree with you that Iger is a workaholic, as most successful leaders are.

Iger wanted to go into politics, but he was a decade too late as a Democrat in California. He is simply now the wrong gender and wrong race to be able to snag Diane Feinstein's Senate seat either through appointment or election, on the way to a Presidential run 2 or 4 years later. In many states it could still work for him, but not in California. Not now, or not anytime in the next decade or two. White males need not apply, and the position has been filled.

The downside to all this is in a couple of years he's going to have another autobiography ghost written for him, and he'll do interviews about it.

Next Bob Iger Book Title Ideas, Free of Charge;

• Get Back In Line and Do It Again!
• They Let Me Do A Re-Ride!
• Disney is 101!

If I were Iger, I'd just go play tennis and enjoy private jet travel with my lovely wife for my golden years. But obviously I'm not him. He's bored and no one was calling him. Until this.

 

[CastAStone]

Iger wanted to go into politics, but he was a decade too late as a Democrat in California. He is simply now the wrong gender and wrong race to be able to snag Diane Feinstein's Senate seat either through appointment or election, on the way to a Presidential run 2 or 4 years later. In many states it could still work for him, but not in California. Not now, or not anytime in the next decade or two. White males need not apply, and the position has been filled.

Yeah who could imagine a straight white male winning a statewide race in California?

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Iger spent years “reluctantly” signing extensions because he wouldn’t choose a successor. What got him back was getting to play hero on a bigger scale after nobody else called him.

It makes me wonder how "temporary" his return will actually be here. Iger fired multiple prior successors because his ego trip felt threatened. Chapek on the other hand was largely just a less intelligent clone of Iger himself and didn't seem to threaten Iger's ego like priors had. It was also a convenient situation that there was a pandemic rolling in, so he could jump ship and evade full responsibility while framing Chapek as some incompetent rogue who caused the mess (which is only half true, Iger likely would not have done much different had he stayed).

People are trying to frame Iger as some sort of second coming of Christ. Which is laughable to me.

 

[UNCgolf]

It makes me wonder how "temporary" his return will actually be here. Iger fired multiple prior successors because his ego trip felt threatened. Chapek on the other hand was largely just a less intelligent clone of Iger himself and didn't seem to threaten Iger's ego like priors had. It was also a convenient situation that there was a pandemic rolling in, so he could jump ship and evade full responsibility while framing Chapek as some incompetent rogue who caused the mess (which is only half true, Iger likely would not have done much different had he stayed).

People are trying to frame Iger as some sort of second coming of Christ. Which is laughable to me.

Well we know he's not going to be CEO for another 15 years, at least.

I could see him going for 4 more years, maybe even 6, but I think that's about the extent. Feels like the board would demand a succession plan be in place, too.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

If I were Iger, I'd just go play tennis and enjoy private jet travel with my lovely wife for my golden years. But obviously I'm not him. He's bored and no one was calling him. Until this.

Even if the phone was ringing off the hook there’s not many jobs that are going to match being CEO of Disney.

If I was a retired guy with a truck load of money sitting in the bank there’s not much (if anything) that would convince me to go back to work.

 

[Disone]

Well we know he's not going to be CEO for another 15 years, at least.

I could see him going for 4 more years, maybe even 6, but I think that's about the extent. Feels like the board would demand a succession plan be in place, too.

Whelp.... If Susan Arnold can bring back Bob Iger, perhaps Bob Iger can bring back Tom Staggs as his successor (as was the original plan).

 

[TP2000]

Yeah who could imagine a straight white male winning a statewide race in California?
View attachment 680069

I was referencing the Senate seat that Bog Iger was widely rumored to be seeking. The white male leading California made it very clear that he would only consider a Black birthing person for that Senate seat, should Senator Feinstein be unable to fulfill her duties.

For the record, only 3.3% (three and three tenths of one percent) of California identifies as a Black birthing person. So the pickings there are as slim as the Disney Board of Directors when they rushed to see if they still had Iger's phone number in their contacts late last week.

Newsom says he'll name Black woman to Senate if Feinstein resigns

Gov. Gavin Newsom made the comments to MSNBC host Joy Reid in an appearance on her show, saying he has multiple names in mind for the spot.

www.politico.com

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Well we know he's not going to be CEO for another 15 years, at least.

I could see him going for 4 more years, maybe even 6, but I think that's about the extent. Feels like the board would demand a succession plan be in place, too.

Depends on how hard he plays them and has a desire to remain. He's thrown every other successor under the bus one way or another (he probably learned this from Eisner trying to throw HIM under the bus). I'm not convinced he won't try that again. Unless he fails to improve their financials or jumps ship again, I could see them wanting him to remain over whatever successor he might choose. Especially if they simply don't have faith in anyone else to do the job.

Whelp.... If Susan Arnold can bring back Bob Iger, perhaps Bob Iger can bring back Tom Staggs as his successor (as was the original plan).

I have a hard time fathoming that being possible. Last thing we heard about Staggs is that Iger burned bridges with him hard and they hate one another to the point that Staggs seemingly doesn't want anything to do with Disney anymore. It was buried in one of these threads, but I think there was a journalist claiming Disney had actually already tried contacting Staggs (possibly before they did with Iger). If true, I guess that conversation was a no-go

 

[UNCgolf]

Depends on how hard he plays them and has a desire to remain. He's thrown every other successor under the bus one way or another (he probably learned this from Eisner trying to throw HIM under the bus). I'm not convinced he won't try that again. Unless he fails to improve their financials or jumps ship again, I could see them wanting him to remain over whatever successor he might choose. Especially if they simply don't have faith in anyone else to do the job.

The issue is that he's almost 72. He's not going to be the CEO at 80, even if he still wanted to be.