Disney Executives Believe Bob Iger's End Goal is to Sell Disney to Apple

Some executives still believe that Disney CEO Bob Iger wants to sell the Walt Disney Company to Apple. However, there are equal reports saying this isn’t the case.

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The decisions and actions made by the Walt Disney Company since Bob Iger took the reins back from former Disney CEO Bob Chapek have been interesting, to say the least. So far, Iger’s tenure has been filled with massive layoffs, battles with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, streaming restructuring, and even a move towards gambling.

Needless to say, people have grown increasingly critical of Bob Iger’s return, especially after the comments he made regarding the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. However, nothing has received more talk recently than reports that, despite a massive loss in profits due to Spectrum and ESPN, the Disney CEO is interested in selling the company to Apple.

Current and Former Disney Execs Think Bob Iger Wants to Sell to Apple

In a report from CNBC discussing the issues the Walt Disney Company has had with the succession from Bob Chapek to Bob Iger, the article mentions that more than a dozen current and former Disney executives have said privately that Iger’s endgame is to remain CEO as long as possible before selling Disney to Apple.

This may seem like a wild idea at first, but it’s not entirely implausible. Iger has already shown interest in divesting the legacy cable networks and ABC from the Walt Disney Company, and he has already laid off 7,000 employees. He could be preparing to sell Disney.

Then there’s his relationship with Apple. Iger has always been close with the tech company, especially since he had a personal relationship with founder Steve Jobs. However, while this all may make sense written down, there are even more reasons for the current Disney CEO not to sell the House of Mouse.

Why It Will Never Happen

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While many outlets continue to report that Disney CEO Bob Iger wants to sell the company off to Apple, the truth is that it’s almost guaranteed not to happen. And there are quite a few reasons as to why.

First of all, Apple rarely buys brand-name companies, and Disney is the biggest brand of them all. On top of that, Apple has no experience with theme parks, cable television, or the type of consumer products that Disney focuses on. While the family-friendly image fits with Apple’s beliefs, nothing else about the merger makes sense. Apple is a tech company, and Disney doesn’t really focus on the technology that Apple is interested in.

Then there’s the legal side of things. It was big news when Disney acquired Fox from Rupert Murdoch, Lucasfilm from George Lucas, Marvel, and so many more. The Walt Disney Company is already being accused of running a media monopoly. If they were to combine with Apple, this would only become more true, and the government would definitely be involved.

Finally, there’s one person who is entirely against selling Disney to Apple: Disney CEO Bob Iger. During the quarterly earnings call in August, Iger fielded a question where a shareholder wanted to know the possibility of this event occurring. Iger simply refused to speculate.

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“I just am not gonna speculate about the potential for Disney to be acquired by any company, whether they’re a technology company or not,” said Iger. “Obviously, anyone who’d want to speculate such things would have to immediately consider the global regulatory environment. I’ll say no more than that. It’s not something we obsess about.”

Not only does this show that Iger already knows the legal repercussions of such a move, but the quote also shows that he has no intention of selling off Disney, at least in its entirety. So, for the moment, it looks like the Walt Disney Company will have to settle for being the largest media company in the world.

Do you think selling Disney to Apple is a good decision? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!