As Bob Iger continues to wind down his tenure at The Walt Disney Company, the executive chairman recently had a word of caution for his fellow executives, according to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Kim Masters.
Masters reports that at an annual retreat for Disney executives in July, Iger told his subordinates: “in a world and business that is awash with data, it is tempting to use data to answer all of our questions, including creative questions. I urge all of you not to do that.” He added that had data been the controlling factor, such hits like Coco, Black Panther, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings may never had been made.
Masters continued that rumors alleged that Iger’s successor, current Disney CEO Bob Chapek, followed up Iger’s address by saying that Disney has, in fact, become a data-driven company, though several sources denied that was the case.
The article chronicles Chapek’s struggles at the reins since taking over in February 2020, exacerbated by the seismic shifts in the entertainment landscape that have occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, driving wedges between Disney and creative talent as films were pushed to Disney+, like Luca, or released simultaneously between theaters and the streaming service, like Black Widow, which was the center of a lawsuit filed against Disney by star Scarlett Johansson that was settled last week. A former Disney executive told Masters, “every creative person is leaving or losing power.”
These struggles have reportedly strained the relationship between Iger and Chapek, exacerbated by a story from The New York Times‘ Ben Smith last year that Iger had effectively reclaimed leadership in the company as the pandemic took hold. According to a source close to Iger, the article upset Chapek deeply, saying: “[Iger] forgot that as soon as he steps down as CEO, the gravity shifts to the new CEO. He miscalculated that because of his belief in his own mastery. [And] he thought Chapek would have a sense of fealty or duty. Instead, Chapek really resented the Ben Smith article. And he’s really not a collaborative person. He put his people in positions of power and marginalized Iger’s deputies.”
According to Masters, the plan to make Chapek CEO emerged in late 2019, after a years-long search for internal candidates. Insiders believed that then-Chief Operating Officer Tom Staggs was expected to be named to the position prior to his departure in 2016, with sources claiming that Staggs learned that Chapek was actively undermining his candidacy.
Despite the reports of tension between him and Chapek, Iger continues to publicly support his successor, saying “He’s very different from me. That doesn’t mean he can’t do the job well. Give him time. It’s the only fair thing to do.”
For more of the corporate intrigue, we highly recommend checking out the full piece fromThe Hollywood Reporter.
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