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CEO Bob Iger returned to Disney after the company went downhill following the leadership under Bob Chapek. Still, Iger will, unfortunately, be moving very soon, and the position of CEO of Disney will be open. Word around the theme Park industry is that the former TikTok CEO, Kevin Mayer, is set to take over Disney after Iger.
But Kevin Mayer is not new to The Mouse House, as he was at Disney for nearly 30 years before moving on to TikTok in 2020.
So what does Mayer think about the potential possibility of his return to Disney?
But before all that, we must answer this fundamental question: who is Kevin Mayer?
Let’s get into it.
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Kevin Mayer’s Walt Disney Company History
Mayer’s career took a big step when he began with The Walt Disney Company in 1993 and started handling strategy and business development for Disney’s Interactive/Internet and television businesses.
Years later, he was promoted to head of Disney Internet group as Executive vice president.
He left Disney for a bit to return in 2005 as executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Business Development, and Technology.
Mayer was involved with purchasing Marvel Entertainment, Lucasfilm, and the 2017 agreement to purchase mainly all of the 21st Century Fox assets.
In 2018, Mayer became chairman of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International to head Disney’s global streaming business, ad sales and distribution, and the media and studio operations of the company.
Kevin led the charge in the launches of Disney+ in 2019 and ESPN+ in 2018 and even led Hulu after Disney acquired majority ownership in 2019.
But in May 2020, Mayer resigned from the Walt Disney Company to become COO of Chinese internet tech company ByteDance Ltd and CEO of its social media app TikTok.
Just three months in, Mayer decided to step down and part ways with the Chinese internet tech company and his role as CEO of TikTok.
Now, after three years, it looks like, once again, Mayer is set to return to Disney sooner than we think.
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Former TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer Returning to Disney?
Right off the bat, Mayer did not refuse any notion that he would say no to returning to The Mouse House.
During the SportsPro OTT Summit USA in New York, Mayer was asked about the rumor about his potential return to Disney.
His words at first were quick and to the point:
“We will see what happens”.
But Mayer went on to explain the following:
“The future’s bright and I’m doing the things I love to do,” said Mayer. “I have a new [content] studio that we’ve created … and I’ve bought some companies with [alternative investment firm] Blackstone’s help. I love consumer tech investing.”
Mayer isn’t the only one being called regarding the potential to take the position of CEO, as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro are also on that list. But only time will tell who will lead Disney into the next era.
What are your expectations regarding this news: do you think Kevin Mayer will return to Disney after running TikTok and other major companies?
***It was previously mentioned that Kevin Mayer was the current CEO of TikTok, but after careful research, the information was wrong and has now been corrected***