The relationship between former Disney CEO Bob Iger and current Disney CEO Bob Chapek is fractured, according to a new report from CNBC.
Catch up quick: Iger said he would step down from his position as CEO of the Walt Disney Co. back in February 2020, saying he intended “to work closely with Bob (Chapek),” according to The Verge.
- The New York Times published a story in which they reached Iger by email. Iger said he wasn't going to leave Chapek’s side amid the pandemic and Iger would stick around to help the company.
- Chapek was reportedly frustrated after he saw the story, having not asked for Iger’s help.
- “He wasn’t looking for a white knight,” CNBC reported.
- Since then, Chapek started making big decisions for Disney without Iger’s input.
- Sources told Puck News that Iger and Chapek conflicted on a number of issues, including the direction of Disney+ and its family-friendly content.
- Iger stayed on as executive chairman after stepping down from his CEO spit. He ended that role at the end of 2021.
The latest: More than a dozen sources told CNBC that Chapek and Iger rarely speak and have had a fractured relationship since the beginning of the pandemic.
- “Normal times would have allowed Iger and Chapek to work more closely. Instead, the two executives barely spoke to each other. Chapek has a small circle of close confidants with whom he makes major decision,” per CNBC.
- Iger even hosted a party last year where he barely spoke with Chapek. He rarely mentioned him during a speech praising past employees, too.
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What they said: “It was extremely awkward,” one of the guests told CNBC. “The tension was palpable.”