Bob Chapek has been the CEO of the Walt Disney Company for nearly two years ever since he surprisingly took over for Bob Iger in early 2020 as the COVID-19 Pandemic had made its way over to America. Since then he has not been held in the highest regard when compared to his predecessors like Bob Iger and Michael Eisner, who were seen as “Creatives”.
He is not looked at fondly by hardcore fans, so much so that he was reportedly booed at the 50th Anniversary Celebration at Walt Disney World. Even a Petition was started to have him removed and has over 80,000 signatures as of the writing of this article. Let’s just say he isn’t very popular.
Recently Bob Chapek sat down with the Financial Times to talk about his first year and a half as CEO. In it he shared some insight about when he became CEO and some of the resistance he’s had. During the interview he talked about being compared to his predecessors:
“I’ve seen creativity in this company through every lens possible. It ties us to our ultimate constituent, which is the consumer.“
But he also shows distain for being called things like “An Outsider”, “A Number Cruncher” and “A Cost-Cutter”. He notes that he was seen as an “Unknown” in the industry. In comparison people like Bob Iger and Michael Eisner rose to power through the film industry where Chapek was more on the business side of things. He said that his actions as CEO “Worries some actors, directors, and agents in Hollywood” as he moves to a streaming focused business model.
His distain for being called a “Bean Counter” came shortly after the November earnings call. Not to mention the very underwhelming “Disney Plus Day”. Both seeing lead to stock in the company briefly loosing value shortly after.
Under Bob Chapek we have seen massive layoffs, a lawsuit from Marvel actress Scarlett Johansson, the Disney Genie App, the death of the Disney Store, cost cutting on theme parks, higher prices and more of a focus on streaming then their theatrical output. If he wants to distance himself from the poor reputation that he has accumulated so far then he definitely needs to try a different strategy other than charge more of less.
What do you think of Bob Chapek as Disney CEO?
Source: WDWNT
Pirates & Princesses (TM) (Stylized as PNP) is an independent, opinionated News and Information site focused on Travel, Entertainment, Fashion, the “Geek Girl” Lifestyle, and more. We focus heavily on Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Universal Orlando Resort, and other themed entertainment and travel destinations. Our news staff includes former theme park and entertainment industry employees, journalists and dedicated pop culture and theme park enthusiasts. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of this site, our affiliates or our sponsors.