NY Times: Bob Iger Effectively Back As CEO

[lazyboy97o]

Don't buy it that one thinks a doctorate is required. WDW is perhaps looking for that right individual hired from outside the company that has no ties with any of the Disney staff that is looking to be restructured and consolidated.

Did you not bother to read the actual job posting?

 

[Duckberg]

What seems fairly certain Disney is facing permanent layoffs, not feel better about it furloughs.

 

[ZoneOfTheEnder]

Lots of misinformation in this post in addition to excessive hyperbole and a bit of tin foil hat wearing.

I won’t get into most of it but I will point out that Disney Infinity was started under Iger. So you can’t blame him for shutting it down without recognizing him for starting. Not that he would have been directly responsible for either.

And there has been extensive upgrades across all Disney owned properties for more efficient heating and cooling systems.

Also Star Wars has always been political. Since the 1970’s.

Obviously you have not stayed at the Boardwalk Villas or Inns. Almost every room we booked after the last remodel has had non functioning AC units. One year the maintenance crew came in and cleaned the coils, which I saw were coated with heavy dust, with a petroleum derived cleaner which contaminated the entire room and destroyed $2,000 worth of clothing. The DVC management moved us to different rooms in both the Villas and Inn and out of the 8 room changes 7 didn’t have functioning AC.
additionally there are rooms that occupy common vent stacks that have a moldy smell and that persists to this day. Also many of the ground floor rooms in the Villas have persistent mold smell and if you look at the doors to the balconies there is black dirt that in some places is mold.
So under Iger Disney has neglected the indoor air quality of many of the buildings and facilities at Walt Disney World. If you go into the shops that do molding for phone cases there is not enough ventilation to remove the toxic odor.
Billions on acquisitions . . . greed to place Marvel in Disney Infinity . . . Lack of proper maintenance. Plus multi million dollar salary and now 100,000 Cast Members cut off with “Now we are going to downsize our employees”.
Walt and Roy were in it to make money but they provided the Disney Magic. Iger not at all.

 

[bartholomr4]

And what does an HR Decision Scientist with a PhD in stats do for Disney?

Is it about decisions to cut or expand theme park staff? Or is it about behind the scenes staffing such as IT and phone and online support.

I am a decision scientist, although I only have a masters degree, no phd. The study of "Decision Science" focuses on how people make decisions. A discipline credited by the father of decision science Dan Ariely who bases his work on the hypothesis decisions take two forms 1) Unconscious decisions we make every minute without thinking about them and 2) deep intensive decisions (should I marry this girl, should I go to this school, should I buy this house.....). It's the focus on this second decision type that decision scientist spend most of their time. They also assume most of these decisions are made 'irrationally'

To that end, I suspect the "HR Decision Scientist" is going to develop her/his models on employee behavior and employee decision making processes. Such a statistician wouldn't be required to cut head count. For a resource rationalization analysis, you need an MBA. I suspect the decision scientist will be modeling how employees will make decisions within a "covid-19" world and try to anticipate high risk (to the decision maker) scenarios and try to put in place processes to help or simplify (or eliminate the need for) the decision process.

If you are interested you should read Dr Ariely's book "Predictably Irrational". It is a simple read (you can read it completely on a flight from New York to LA). Dan was a victim of burns to his body as a result of his time in the military. He studied the reaction of Nurses to his physical scars. Initially he thought the nurses were reacting to him based on the way he looked. Instead it turned out the Nurses didn't want to work with him because replacing his bandages was very painful(to Dan), and they (the nurses) had difficulty watching him react to the pain.

Long winded comment, but I don't think this role is focused on micro-managing the reduction of staff at Disney.

 

[peter11435]

No not a troll. A 66 year old father of two daughters who has seen the vision of Walt Disney’s creations turned into a propaganda machine that revises history (retconning films and TV series) for political purposes. Spending outrageous sums of money on acquisitions while ignoring the maintenance of the parks and disney vacation club properties.

The company was a propaganda machine while Walt was alive too.

 

[peter11435]

Obviously you have not stayed at the Boardwalk Villas or Inns. Almost every room we booked after the last remodel has had non functioning AC units. One year the maintenance crew came in and cleaned the coils, which I saw were coated with heavy dust, with a petroleum derived cleaner which contaminated the entire room and destroyed $2,000 worth of clothing. The DVC management moved us to different rooms in both the Villas and Inn and out of the 8 room changes 7 didn’t have functioning AC.
additionally there are rooms that occupy common vent stacks that have a moldy smell and that persists to this day. Also many of the ground floor rooms in the Villas have persistent mold smell and if you look at the doors to the balconies there is black dirt that in some places is mold.
So under Iger Disney has neglected the indoor air quality of many of the buildings and facilities at Walt Disney World. If you go into the shops that do molding for phone cases there is not enough ventilation to remove the toxic odor.
Billions on acquisitions . . . greed to place Marvel in Disney Infinity . . . Lack of proper maintenance. Plus multi million dollar salary and now 100,000 Cast Members cut off with “Now we are going to downsize our employees”.
Walt and Roy were in it to make money but they provided the Disney Magic. Iger not at all.

Lol.

So your anecdotal evidence is somehow confirmation that there has been no upgrades across the property? There are tens of thousands of hotel rooms and hundreds of other facilities. There have been upgrades.

I’ve stayed at boardwalk only four times but I have never had non functioning AC.

Also you can’t blame Iger for a global pandemic. The company has actually taken good care of employers given the circumstances.

 

[ZoneOfTheEnder]

Lol.

So your anecdotal evidence is somehow confirmation that there has been no upgrades across the property? There are tens of thousands of hotel rooms and hundreds of other facilities. There have been upgrades.

I’ve stayed at boardwalk only four times but I have never had non functioning AC.

Also you can’t blame Iger for a global pandemic. The company has actually taken good care of employers given the circumstances.

As a DVC member since 1991 with our first property at Old Key West and later changed to the Boardwalk and Beach Club and we have stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in DVC rooms. After the latest remodel of the Boardwalk the changes were cosmetic and we know this since we had stayed in some of the same rooms that we had in previous years. From 1998 we were primarily staying at the Boardwalk and if they changed the AC units it was only a partial fix. We were there and had to change rooms and most times the rooms that they wanted to move us to were worse than the first room. These are facts.

Who is blaming Bob Iger for this "global pandemic"? I am not. It is the news media that has everyone hysterical and scared which is plunging our financial markets into free fall. With countless people loosing their jobs and forcing businesses to close. Since Disney owns a very large percentage of the media that is fanning the flames then, just as Bob Iger and Bob Chapek dodged the Epstein on air comment by an ABC news person, then the buck stops with Bob Iger in allowing for sensational yellow press reporting.

We have stayed at the Boardwalk close to 30 times with the most incidents of failed AC units over the last 5 years. We have documented these issues with DVC Boardwalk Management.

Each year since 2014 the amenities at the Boardwalk have been cheapened with 2019 having the Clock Radios and Note Pads not present in the rooms.

With over 25 years of experience dealing with Air Quality and Air Change Issues there are serious issues as to how this facility has been upgraded and maintained. As to the other newer DVC Properties all I can say is the rooms are smaller and we had issues with the AC at the units at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

I think you should ask Cast Members how they feel about how they have been treated. With the news that Bob Iger intends to reduce the workforce.

Bob Iger has turned Disney into a conglomerate and the failures at the Box Office represent the failures of his leadership. Turning Walt Disney World into a "Ride the Movies" theme park places WDW at the same level as Universal who is now doing a better job of it.

 

[Lilofan]

As a DVC member since 1991 with our first property at Old Key West and later changed to the Boardwalk and Beach Club and we have stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in DVC rooms. After the latest remodel of the Boardwalk the changes were cosmetic and we know this since we had stayed in some of the same rooms that we had in previous years. From 1998 we were primarily staying at the Boardwalk and if they changed the AC units it was only a partial fix. We were there and had to change rooms and most times the rooms that they wanted to move us to were worse than the first room. These are facts.
Who is blaming Bob Iger for this "global pandemic"? I am not. It is the news media that has everyone hysterical and scared which is plunging our financial markets into free fall. With countless people loosing their jobs and forcing businesses to close. Since Disney owns a very large percentage of the media that is fanning the flames then, just as Bob Iger and Bob Chapek dodged the Epstein on air comment by an ABC news person, then the buck stops with Bob Iger in allowing for sensational yellow press reporting.

We have stayed at the Boardwalk close to 30 times with the most incidents of failed AC units over the last 5 years. We have documented these issues with DVC Boardwalk Management.

Each year since 2014 the amenities at the Boardwalk have been cheapened with 2019 having the Clock Radios and Note Pads not present in the rooms.

With over 25 years of experience dealing with Air Quality and Air Change Issues there are serious issues as to how this facility has been upgraded and maintained. As to the other newer DVC Properties all I can say is the rooms are smaller and we had issues with the AC at the units at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

I think you should ask Cast Members how they feel about how they have been treated. With the news that Bob Iger intends to reduce the workforce.

Bob Iger has turned Disney into a conglomerate and the failures at the Box Office represent the failures of his leadership. Turning Walt Disney World into a "Ride the Movies" theme park places WDW at the same level as Universal who is now doing a better job of it.

All the resorts in the early 1990s got "efficient" by not changing the bedsheets and towels daily in the hotel rooms unless requested by the guest.

 

[asianway]

Sorry but this position has been repeatedly posted for months. My DD works in this department or did before the furlough. They can't fill it because I believe they want a PhD in stats and the ablity to walk on water. She would love to apply but only has a grad certificate in stats.

They do love to unicorn hunt don’t they?

 

[HauntedPirate]

They do love to unicorn hunt don’t they?

That, and job descriptions written for a specific candidate they already have in mind. Happens in IT all the time. The list of "required skills" is through the rood and completely unobtainable unless you spent 276 hours per week working all facets of IT over the past 15 years.

 

[Ravenclaw78]

That, and job descriptions written for a specific candidate they already have in mind. Happens in IT all the time. The list of "required skills" is through the rood and completely unobtainable unless you spent 276 hours per week working all facets of IT over the past 15 years.

You make it sound like it's unreasonable to ask for 10 years of experience with a product that was first released 3 years ago.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Obviously you have not stayed at the Boardwalk Villas or Inns. Almost every room we booked after the last remodel has had non functioning AC units. One year the maintenance crew came in and cleaned the coils, which I saw were coated with heavy dust, with a petroleum derived cleaner which contaminated the entire room and destroyed $2,000 worth of clothing. The DVC management moved us to different rooms in both the Villas and Inn and out of the 8 room changes 7 didn’t have functioning AC.
additionally there are rooms that occupy common vent stacks that have a moldy smell and that persists to this day. Also many of the ground floor rooms in the Villas have persistent mold smell and if you look at the doors to the balconies there is black dirt that in some places is mold.
So under Iger Disney has neglected the indoor air quality of many of the buildings and facilities at Walt Disney World. If you go into the shops that do molding for phone cases there is not enough ventilation to remove the toxic odor.
Billions on acquisitions . . . greed to place Marvel in Disney Infinity . . . Lack of proper maintenance. Plus multi million dollar salary and now 100,000 Cast Members cut off with “Now we are going to downsize our employees”.
Walt and Roy were in it to make money but they provided the Disney Magic. Iger not at all.

Not to mention the lack of notepads in the rooms.

 

[ZoneOfTheEnder]

Not to mention the lack of notepads in the rooms.

Thank you for confirming this is a Fact. Did your room/s have clock radios? Ours didn't in January 2019.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Thank you for confirming this is a Fact. Did your room/s have clock radios? Ours didn't in January 2019.

They've been available upon request for years now.

 

[peter11435]

As a DVC member since 1991 with our first property at Old Key West and later changed to the Boardwalk and Beach Club and we have stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in DVC rooms. After the latest remodel of the Boardwalk the changes were cosmetic and we know this since we had stayed in some of the same rooms that we had in previous years. From 1998 we were primarily staying at the Boardwalk and if they changed the AC units it was only a partial fix. We were there and had to change rooms and most times the rooms that they wanted to move us to were worse than the first room. These are facts.

Who is blaming Bob Iger for this "global pandemic"? I am not. It is the news media that has everyone hysterical and scared which is plunging our financial markets into free fall. With countless people loosing their jobs and forcing businesses to close. Since Disney owns a very large percentage of the media that is fanning the flames then, just as Bob Iger and Bob Chapek dodged the Epstein on air comment by an ABC news person, then the buck stops with Bob Iger in allowing for sensational yellow press reporting.

We have stayed at the Boardwalk close to 30 times with the most incidents of failed AC units over the last 5 years. We have documented these issues with DVC Boardwalk Management.

Each year since 2014 the amenities at the Boardwalk have been cheapened with 2019 having the Clock Radios and Note Pads not present in the rooms.

With over 25 years of experience dealing with Air Quality and Air Change Issues there are serious issues as to how this facility has been upgraded and maintained. As to the other newer DVC Properties all I can say is the rooms are smaller and we had issues with the AC at the units at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

I think you should ask Cast Members how they feel about how they have been treated. With the news that Bob Iger intends to reduce the workforce.

Bob Iger has turned Disney into a conglomerate and the failures at the Box Office represent the failures of his leadership. Turning Walt Disney World into a "Ride the Movies" theme park places WDW at the same level as Universal who is now doing a better job of it.

If you’ve been a member since 1991 then you know there are complex issues regarding maintenance and upgrades at DVC priorities that involve more than just Disney, and that the upgrades and maintenance are largely funded by the members. You should also know that those same complexities are why the operation, maintenance, and upgrades of DVC properties is an entirely different situation than that of any other Disney facilities. So again, your anecdotal evidence regarding DVC priorities is not evidence that no Disney facility has received HVAC upgrades under Iger. I’ve only stayed in

Also notepads and clock radios were removed years ago because nobody was using them anymore. But they are still complimentary upon request. Room upgrades focused on increasing USB charging availability and larger smart TVs rather than on elements that have largely become obsolete. I’ve only stayed in 11 DVC rooms but my anecdotal evidence is that they all had perfectly functioning AC.

 

[Goofyernmost]

The company was a propaganda machine while Walt was alive too.

And a massive distortion of history! We just didn't know it at the time. However, in all fairness, the place is advertised as a place of fantasy, not real, a distortion of reality, so how is that done without excessive hyperbole.

 

[bubbles1812]

As a DVC member since 1991 with our first property at Old Key West and later changed to the Boardwalk and Beach Club and we have stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in DVC rooms. After the latest remodel of the Boardwalk the changes were cosmetic and we know this since we had stayed in some of the same rooms that we had in previous years. From 1998 we were primarily staying at the Boardwalk and if they changed the AC units it was only a partial fix. We were there and had to change rooms and most times the rooms that they wanted to move us to were worse than the first room. These are facts.

Who is blaming Bob Iger for this "global pandemic"? I am not. It is the news media that has everyone hysterical and scared which is plunging our financial markets into free fall. With countless people loosing their jobs and forcing businesses to close. Since Disney owns a very large percentage of the media that is fanning the flames then, just as Bob Iger and Bob Chapek dodged the Epstein on air comment by an ABC news person, then the buck stops with Bob Iger in allowing for sensational yellow press reporting.

We have stayed at the Boardwalk close to 30 times with the most incidents of failed AC units over the last 5 years. We have documented these issues with DVC Boardwalk Management.

Each year since 2014 the amenities at the Boardwalk have been cheapened with 2019 having the Clock Radios and Note Pads not present in the rooms.

With over 25 years of experience dealing with Air Quality and Air Change Issues there are serious issues as to how this facility has been upgraded and maintained. As to the other newer DVC Properties all I can say is the rooms are smaller and we had issues with the AC at the units at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

I think you should ask Cast Members how they feel about how they have been treated. With the news that Bob Iger intends to reduce the workforce.

Bob Iger has turned Disney into a conglomerate and the failures at the Box Office represent the failures of his leadership. Turning Walt Disney World into a "Ride the Movies" theme park places WDW at the same level as Universal who is now doing a better job of it.

Out of morbid curiosity, what Box Office failures are you referring to here? Disney had 60+ % market share on the Box Office and some of the biggest money making franchises and IP of all time. And their original content certainly doesn’t do badly. Look at Frozen 2! Or any of the movies from the last 5 years.

Not every movie is gonna be a success of course but if you use Onward as an example, which was impacted by a pandemic, I’m just gonna laugh at you.

From a creative standpoint, there’s certainly arguments to be made, but from a financial standpoint, the last two months not withstanding, he did wonders for the company.

And Walt was an excellent propagandist. Do you think the Disney’s Wonderful World of Color and The Mickey Mouse Club were made out of pure altruism? To make the children happy? Disney’s products and productions have always existed to tell themselves.

 

[George]

You can also request candelabras and unlimited kumquats when they’re in season.

 

[peter11435]

How about refusing to allow a US release of Song of the South of DVD? Or editing Lilo & Stitch? Or any of the SW originals?

Disney has been jumping on the "erase history" bandwagon...and I'm not a fan. If we hide those parts of history we aren't proud of, we only ensure we repeat the same mistakes.

They’ve refused a Song of the South US release for decades. That has nothing to do with Iger. It started long before him.

You don’t think editing Lilo & Stitch was the right thing to do? It doesn’t change the movie in any significant way. It’s a film directed at children that depicted a dangerous behavior that was easily remedied with a simpler safer solution that gets the same point across for the story. Many children have died doing exactly what Lilo was shown doing. I don’t see how anyone can complain about that change understating why it was made.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

They’ve refused a Song of the South US release for decades. That has nothing to do with Iger. It started long before him.

You don’t think editing Lilo & Stitch was the right thing to do? It doesn’t change the movie in any significant way. It’s a film directed at children that depicted a dangerous behavior that was easily remedied with a simpler safer solution that gets the same point across for the story. Many children have died doing exactly what Lilo was shown doing. I don’t see how anyone can complain about that change understating why it was made.

I didn't say it was Iger, specifically, just that Disney as a whole has been editing in general and disallowing access.

But really, nearly ALL cartoons and animated films depict danger of one kind or another...should they all be banned? Even Lilo & Stitch depicts many other actions that could endanger a child...Lilo spends an awful lot of time at the beach and at other places without an adult. The dryer thing I absolutely understand, but the question is, how much of a slippery slope is it?