“Three Years of Hell” — Former CEO Bob Chapek Describes Time at Disney

Disney leadership has been on quite the rollercoaster ride recently.

Bob Chapek and Bob Iger ©CNBC

Bob Chapek was removed from his position as CEO in late 2022 and Bob Iger returned after just a brief time away. Since that time, we’ve seen various executives leave the Company, others return (sometimes in advisory capacities), and major shifts in organization take place. But news about Chapek and his view on his time as CEO has been noticeably absent…until now.

In a recent article shared by CNBC, they have detailed the initial Disney CEO transition from Bob Iger to Bob Chapek in 2020, how the relationship between the two executives developed from there, Iger’s return, and a look at what could be in Disney’s future when it comes to the next CEO.

CNBC’s information is based on “conversations with more than 25 people who worked closely with Iger and Chapek at Disney between 2020 and 2022.”

Bob Chapek

First, let’s tackle what Chapek reportedly has to say about his time at Disney. According to CNBC, “Chapek confided to a friend that his tenure at Disney was ‘about three years of hell,’ defined by one overriding theme: his unrelenting fear that Iger wanted his job back.”

It turns out that fear would ultimately become a reality with Iger resuming the CEO position in late 2022.

©Disney

Chapek, however, has “defended his record as Disney CEO” in a statement that was shared with CNBC by a Chapek representative. The spokesperson said, “Bob is proud of the work he did in the course of his 30-year career at Disney, particularly during his nearly three-year run as CEO, steering the company through the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, and setting the course for business transformation as he and his team took the disruptive yet necessary steps for business revitalization and long-term growth.”

Again, updates from Chapek since his departure have been rare so it is interesting to get information from his spokesperson.

Bob Chapek ©Disney

The CNBC article is lengthy and goes on to detail a number of interesting stories about the Chapek and Iger relationship, including how Iger did not move out of his CEO office when the initial transition took place (Chapek moved into a smaller office on the same floor instead of taking over the larger CEO office), and how Iger has “told peers” that he returned to Disney to “correct what he sees as one of the biggest mistakes of his career — choosing Chapek.”

The article goes on to talk about how Iger kept delaying his retirement, how Iger’s decision to step down in 2020 shocked various people (including his own close associates), how Iger reportedly “never consulted anyone who worked directly for Chapek in the runup to naming him CEO,” and the battles the Bobs had during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

©Disney

The article even mentions a major argument Chapek and Iger had about Iger’s statements regarding his need to help Chapek with handling the COVID-19 pandemic, how Chapek reportedly dropped “a carefully placed expletive or two” on a call with Iger in response to Iger’s comments, and how Iger “would tell people no colleague had ever spoken to him like that before in his life.”

©Apple

From the “Don’t Say Gay” situation to Disney+ struggles, the Scarlett Johansson controversy, and more — there were a number of things that ultimately led to Chapek’s departure from Disney’s CEO position.

But the question will soon become what comes next for Iger and Disney — who will be the next CEO? According to some people familiar with Iger’s thinking, Iger reportedly does want to retire at the end of 2026. One source has indicated that Disney will likely pick its next CEO around 2025 and Iger has already been vetting candidates. That doesn’t leave Disney with much time to choose its next CEO.

©Disney | Walt Disney Company Headquarters

CNBC points out that some individuals whose names have been thrown in the CEO ring have either never run theme parks or don’t have experience in other key areas of the company — like the media division. CNBC warns “Iger has built the entire company around him; he may be the only person capable of running it in its current form.”

Could the solution really be simplifying the Company — selling off parts of Disney to streamline things and make it easier to run? Or perhaps even easier to sell to another company? Only time will tell.

©Disney

We’ll keep a close eye out for updates on the Disney situation, what happens with the Company, and where things might be headed in terms of the next CEO. Stay tuned for all the latest updates.

Click here to see how Bob Iger went from hero to villain in 72 hours

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The post "Three Years of Hell" -- Former CEO Bob Chapek Describes Time at Disney first appeared on the disney food blog.

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