Bob Chapek is coming under fire yet again, this time from ex Disney CEO Bob Iger. According to the Business Insider they have multiple sources who say that Iger regrets choosing Chapek to replace him as Disney CEO, even going as far to allegedly say it was “one of his worst business decisions.”

This explains a lot. From the day the sudden announcement was made, Bob Iger seemed upset and Bob Chapek seemed scared. It felt rushed and from the body language and pacing neither Bob looked happy about how it happened.

One source said it was Iger who wanted to move his departure up, and the board was caught off guard. The source felt that if the pandemic hadn’t happened it would likely be different between the two Bobs and the friction wouldn’t have happened.

The article’s sources also said that Bob Iger wanted a two-year mentoring period to transition Chapek to CEO, so he could help him navigate “these unprecedented times”. It seemed the board wanted to have Chapek be named COO until he could take over as CEO when Iger was ready to leave the company completely. Somehow the solution they settled on was Chapek being named CEO immediately and Iger finishing out 2020-2021 as executive chairman.

Explains these looks!

When the pandemic hit Iger continued to act as CEO, running the investor meetings and calling up the governor of California to try and stop a shut down of Disneyland. Then it was Iger who talked to the media. People were asking where the new CEO was. This went on for awhile, until Bob Chapek was finally allowed to do his new job.

The Insider article mentions that the Bobs couldn’t agree on a course forward during the pandemic and that Iger asked the board to give him seniority and authority over Chapek.

It seems they had different ideas about how the company should handle the pandemic, how they should handle the political landscape and even how the Walt Disney Company should be restructured. Sources also claimed that they even had different advisory teams that “sometimes worked against each other.” I think that could be felt by the investors and fans.

Now that Bob Iger has left the company he and others must feel a bit more open in discussing his feelings about Chapek.

Sources are coming forward in the article talking about Iger’s feelings on Chapek’s mishandling of the Scarlett Johannsson situation, Peter Rice and the Parental Rights in Education Bill in Florida. It is reported that Iger called Chapek a “novice” and said that he was “arrogant” and “uninterested” in the opinions of others.

Even after all of this, Bob Iger says he’s still rooting for the Walt Disney Company.

The next investor call is going to be interesting for sure. The stocks are falling, the box office isn’t stellar and several Disney executives and the fan base aren’t happy. Even with all that there are rumors that Bob Chapek will indeed get a contract extension.

We shall see what happens.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!

Sources: Business Insider, Blog Mickey, CBR