The past couple of weeks have been very eye opening for those who follow Disney’s corporate politics. Now former Disney CEO Bob Chapek was seemingly forced out and replaced by his predecessor Bob Iger. The executive shake-up has definitely turned many heads as it had been seen as unlikely for Iger to return to the company.
One person lending their voice to the conversation is former Disney CEO Michael Eisner.
Eisner took to his Twitter account to seemingly welcome back Iger to his role as CEO shortly after the announcement was made:
Welcome back to Disney, @RobertIger!
— Michael Eisner (@Michael_Eisner) November 21, 2022
Eisner also Tweeted not long after Bob Iger’s town hall meeting, quoting Walt Disney himself in the process:
The Walt Disney Company has suffered in recent years. This is a good time for us to remember the words of Walt Disney who said, “Everybody falls down. Getting back up is how you learn to walk.”
— Michael Eisner (@Michael_Eisner) November 29, 2022
For those unaware, Michael Eisner is perhaps best known for joining Disney during their “dark age” and helping usher in the Disney Renaissance era. At the time Disney was almost ready to close its doors; But Eisner, with the help from Jeffrey Katzenberg, Frank Wells and Roy E. Disney, made it his mission wake sleeping beauty from her slumber and turned Disney into a global entertainment juggernaut. He was even the company’s spokesperson for a time.
Eisner’s reign as CEO lasted a historical 21 years from 1984 – 2005 after a “save Disney” campaign ran by Roy E. Disney forced him to step down. Roy E. Disney saw Eisner’s micromanaging as turning the company into a “rapacious” and “soul-less” entity. Shortly after, Bob Iger was named his successor.
Despite his shortcomings Eisner is highly respected amongst long time Disney fans with some wishing he had stayed on as CEO longer. The now 80 year old executive now spends his time as the owner of the Portsmouth Football Club.
His tweets seem to suggest that not only does he have no ill will towards his successor, but also that he has more confidence in him than he did in the now former CEO Bob Chapek; Despite him previously saying that he was “a big fan of both Bobs“.
What do you think? Is Eisner right in welcoming Iger back to the company?
Source: WDW News Today
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