Credit: Inside the MagicDisney is reportedly done with China.
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Bob Iger became CEO in 2005 and served up until 2019. Bob Chapek was named Iger’s successor and took control of The Walt Disney Company in early 2020. Chapek had a brief run as CEO, lasting only two years, but managed to make several enemies and anger millions of fans along the way. Chapek significantly changed how the Disney parks worked, hiking up the prices and introducing new features like Disney Genie+ that fans were not a big fan of.
However, even longtime Disney veteran Bob Iger has faced troubles, losing a lot of the goodwill he built up over those two decades. Iger found himself in hot water after making some insensitive comments regarding the writer’s strike, insinuating writers’ demands for better pay were “unreasonable.”
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Iger has also found himself at the center of a long political battle with the state of Florida and its outspoken Gov. Ron DeSantis. This all dates back to 2022 when The Walt Disney Company, which was still under the leadership of Bob Chapek, publicly denounced Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act. This immediately made Disney enemy #1 to Gov. DeSantis, who quickly worked to dismantle any special privileges and protections Disney enjoyed in his home state. Gov. DeSantis was ultimately successful in stripping away Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District.
This special ruling, which was set in stone several decades ago, allowed the Walt Disney World Resort to act as its own form of small government. This helped to speed up projects and allowed Disney to employ its own set of first responders. The district was supported by taxpayers, most of whom were not happy about the government takeover.
This large speedbump is far from the only political struggle Bob Iger has faced, with many calling out Disney for its support and partnership with China. Disney’s relationship with China has been complicated and evolving over time. On one hand, Disney has long viewed China as a significant market opportunity for its movies, theme parks, and merchandise, given the country’s massive population and rising middle class. However, the Chinese government has also been known for its strict regulations and censorship policies, which have, at times, put Disney in a difficult position.
This is all changing soon, apparently, with Bob Iger making his intentions with China clear.
“If you’re asking me whether I’m as optimistic as I once was about growing our business in China, the answer would be no.”
Iger made these comments in a new interview in which he discussed a plethora of topics. One of these topics was Disney’s decision to pull out of X (Twitter) due to Elon Musk’s controversial comments. In a later interview regarding advertising on X, Musk simply said, “Go F*** Yourselves” to companies boycotting the social media site, mentioning Bob Iger by name.
While we aren’t sure what Iger means specifically regarding Disney’s relationship with China going forward, it’s clear how Bob Iger feels about growing Disney’s business there, at least for now. The Walt Disney Company has two theme park resorts located in China, the Hong Kong Disney Resort and Shanghai Disneyland Resort, both of which bring in millions of visitors yearly.
What are your thoughts on Bob Iger?