Op-Ed: How Bob Iger Is The Napoleon Bonaparte Of Hollywood

At one point, around 4 – 5 years ago, the Walt Disney Company ruled the entertainment industry. With multiple film projects hitting over $1 Billion at the box office, the MCU was still the hottest thing in cinema and they were about to take the streaming world by storm with their Disney+ streaming service. Now, the company is a mere shell of what it was. Many point the finger at the one who once made them successful, their current CEO, Robert Allen Iger.



The man who once led to Disney becoming an entertainment juggernaut of the 2010s is now seen as a man whose ambition led to poor judgment in leadership, causing his empire to crumble. But what is interesting is that, in a figurative way, Iger has become the Napoleon Bonaparte of Hollywood. Many events can be seen as reflections of the legendary French Emperor, either by coincidence or seemingly by fate.



Iger came to Disney when his then employer ABC, was acquired by Disney in 1996. Over time, his predecessor, Michael Eisner, was no longer seen as fit to run the company. Iger then rose through the ranks to become his successor in 2005. Much like how Napoleon, who was once a military commander, became the next sole ruler of France after the people “got rid” of Louis XVI.



Not long after, like Napoleon, he began to grow his new empire. He acquired Pixar Animation in 2006, Marvel in 2009, Lucasfilm in 2012, and Maker Studios in 2014. As time went on, the box office hauls for their films began to grow larger and larger, with almost every film crossing the $1 Billion mark, adding his his accomplishments. However, one fatal mistake began the domino effect that would end his first reign.



In 2019, Disney acquired 20th Century Fox after a brutal bidding war with Comcast. Iger wanted to win Fox, as much as Napoleon wanted to conquer Russia. Afterward, Iger experienced his own “Russian Winter” when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, nearly crippling the company financially. Not long after, like Napoleon, he was seemingly forced to advocate his “throne.” Bob Iger resigned in early 2020, allowing Bob Chapek to step in like King Louis XVIII.



However, no longer wanting to stay away, Bob Iger returned to Disney in late 2022 after what appeared to be a coup by Iger supporters, leaving Chapek in the dust. His return resembles that of when Napoleon returned to France after escaping exile and retook his throne. Iger almost immediately began trying to turn things around, even attempting to “quiet the noise” on certain aspects of the company, much like Napoleon wanting to reestablish order.



However, his adversaries are gathering and waging a proxy war for the future of the company. Iger is currently battling his own Waterloo, with Nelson Peltz being the Duke of Wellington and ValueAct as his Prussian allies.



The walls are slowly closing in on Iger, just like when all of Europe closed in on Bonaparte. Activist investors want to ensure Iger is 100% out by 2026 when his contract expires, having him enter a second exile like Napoleon. The Walt Disney Company board will choose a new successor in an attempt to restore balance. 



Like Napoleon’s once glorious Empire, the Iger Empire, too, is falling after years of poor decision making due to an overambitious attitude and huger for industry-wide conquest. He went from being one of the most respected businessmen in the industry to becoming Hollywood’s number-one enemy.



How do you think Iger’s legacy will be remembered? As the man who brought the company into the stratosphere? Or as the man whose decisions nearly killed a 100-year-old entertainment dynasty?