Bob Iger Returns/Disney CEO Thread (2022)

[Jake S]

Disney fans like OG55 have speculated the reason why Josh went all out with announcements at D23 2024 was because he wanted to get in Iger's good graces for CEO successor.

have they elaborated on the logic of that? because i don’t see it.

 

[Clive]

have they elaborated on the logic of that? because i don’t see it.

Yeah, that, bluntly, doesn't make any sense. Josh can't unilaterally make huge announcements like that without Iger's go-ahead.

 

[TheUniC6]

have they elaborated on the logic of that? because i don’t see it.

Yeah, that, bluntly, doesn't make any sense. Josh can't unilaterally make huge announcements like that without Iger's go-ahead.

I think the logic they might have been operating on was this (sorry if this is a stretch): a lot of fans did not have a good perception of Disney management after D23 2022. Josh knew a lot of fans were pining for new things for the parks after COVID. So he went all out at D23 2024 with the slate we got, which impressed Iger with how he turned around fan perceptions with things like the door coaster and Villains land. (the fans have wanted these for years)

Now that I think about it, either these Disney channels were saying that for clicks or they have no idea how the business is really run.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I understand these people are exceptions ambitious and it would be naive of me to expect otherwise, but I kind of like Josh as head of parks. Feel like he’s been a good advocate for the parks with the Bobs and I doubt that continues to the same degree if he’s CEO.

I like D'Amaro as CEO as he will more than likely want to see his announced park projects completed. A new CEO could potentially risk all of the announced (and soon to be approved) projects in favor of something else. With Disney supercharging the parks business with a 10 year plan, they likely have a rough idea of what the latter half contains... and a new CEO could threaten all of that.

I say that as a park fan, unsure how he fits elsewhere in the company.

I think the logic they might have been operating on was this (sorry if this is a stretch): a lot of fans did not have a good perception of Disney management after D23 2022. Josh knew a lot of fans were pining for new things for the parks after COVID. So he went all out at D23 2024 with the slate we got, which impressed Iger with how he turned around fan perceptions with things like the door coaster and Villains land. (the fans have wanted these for years)

Now that I think about it, either these Disney channels were saying that for clicks or they have no idea how the business is really run.

What a lot of fans forget is that Iger prioritized spending towards Disney+ that ultimately resulted in the parks being used as the fundraiser, but didn't receive anything else beyond what was approved already. Once they realized Disney+ wasn't doing as great, they kept their pocketbooks close to their chest until Disney+ showed a positive result. When the parks division did receive funds, they were used for additional cruise ships and DVC expansion... projects that have a direct revenue model. That's why the previous D23s before last year were complete duds. Everything was announced, and nothing else was being greenlit due to lack of funds. The parks were doing very well financially during the travel bounceback post-Covid, but now we're seeing softening.