Understanding Bob Iger Stepping Up at Disney

by Ray Keating

Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 13, 2020

Last night, DisneyBizJournal highlighted a report from The New York Times noting that Bob Iger effectively has taken back control of The Walt Disney Company from Bob Chapek.

It’s interesting to read assorted reactions from people questioning the Times report, and saying that they would not believe the story until Disney makes an official announcement. Now, raising questions about media accounts generally is healthy, but blindly doing so is not.

Let’s be clear: No one should expect an announcement from The Walt Disney Company saying that Bob Iger is back as CEO, and Bob Chapek is out. That actually would be surprising (Disclaimer: I don’t officially toss aside any possibilities in the world we live in today), and that’s not what this report was about anyway.

Instead, this is about effective control of the company. That means no official announcements from the company about changing titles, etc. Instead, this is tapping Iger’s experience in running Disney as the company faces unprecedented challenges. This is about Iger stepping up to play the key role in helping Disney and Chapek navigate stormy waters, and guiding how the company emerges on the other end.

This also is about letting investors and the market know that Iger’s steady hand is on the wheel.

These developments make sense from a business perspective. But if you’re looking for an official announcement from Disney, that’s highly unlikely. Instead, what you might get is a statement from the company saying that the board has complete confidence in Chapek as CEO, and it appreciates the important leadership being provided by Executive Chairman Bob Iger in these uncertain times. Again, that would be logical from a business perspective.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution (now available at a deep discount) and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.