Only Disney co-founder Michael Eisner has been at the helm of the company for as long as Bob Iger. The New York executive landed at Mickey Mouse in 2005 and until 2020 he was its top executive, although after two years he returned again and since 2022 he has been CEO again. So we are talking about one of the most illustrious leaders of our time and whose history is closely linked to Apple.
And this parallel story is not only due to the fact that Iger served on Apple’s board of directors until 2019, but also to his close relationship with Steve Jobs. So much so that he once revealed that the two companies would merge today if Jobs were still alive. He recently spoke again about Steve and the advice he gave him before he died.
A CEO union that goes beyond the professional
Steve Jobs and Bob Iger coincided for several years as leaders of their respective companies. It is not known for sure when their friendship began, but the moment they They both came together by merging their companies as well.In 2006, when Iger had been CEO of Disney for barely a year, he bought Pixar.
For those who have no idea about this, say that Steve Jobs was one of the great architects of Pixarwhich bought its predecessor company in 1982 for about $5 million. Over the years, Pixar became more prominent as a producer of computer-animated films, and Jobs focused on Apple, a company he returned to in 1997.
Beyond that, Jobs was also instrumental in Disney’s purchase of Marvelsomething that would happen in 2009 and which, as Iger himself admitted in his memoirs, was not at all clear. A call to Steve convinced him that it was an excellent investment.
It is therefore not strange to imagine that the union between the two leaders has gone beyond the professional sphere to reach strong personal ties. This is also demonstrated by anecdotes such as those published this month by the New York Times concerning Iger’s image crisis at the head of Disney.
“Retire to enjoy the good things in life”
Bob Iger has repeatedly admitted deep admiration he had for Steve Jobs. He ranks him among the people he has been “luckiest to meet” in his life. The inspiration is such that he often clearly expresses his idea of following in Jobs’ footsteps. However, there was one occasion when he did not do so.
Bob Iger is now 73, and when Steve Jobs died he was 60, an age at which many (most) continue to work, but with their minds already set on retirement. So Jobs advised him to retireAlready suffering from pancreatic cancer that would eventually be terminal, Steve valued the little things in life that went beyond work, so wanting his colleague to enjoy them instead of “wasting time” was wishing him the best.
However, Iger did not pay attention to him and at the same time followed in his footsteps. His departure from Disney took place only in 2020. It was then that Iger believed that he had already retired voluntarily and after fifteen successful years at the helm of Disney. However, the crisis of the company forced him to come back in 2022disobeying Jobs’ advice once again, but doing the same thing he did when a bankrupt Apple brought him back to the company in the late ’90s.
Uncertain future for Bob Iger at the head of Disney
Unlike Steve Jobs, who managed to turn Apple around and eventually become the most valuable company in the world with products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad, Bob Iger has a more complicated life at the helm of Disney. And all for a streaming crisis which is preventing Disney+ from growing as it should, despite its new growth.
Theoretically, Iger’s relationship with Disney expires in 2026since his return has always been marked as temporary to face this crisis. However, some have already proposed a “coup d’état” while drawing a line of succession.
Bob Iger, who humbly acknowledges being at the forefront of helping Disney in any way he can, seems to be enjoying a new reign that is even more ephemeral than his contract indicates. At least that is what many analysts think. If this early exit happens, he will now be able to, as his good friend Steve Jobs told him, enjoy life. If Disney does not come back for him later. Again.
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