Will Bob Iger Step Down?

This is Bob Iger, the current CEO of the Walt Disney Company:

Hi, Bob!

Iger has been the CEO of Disney since 2005, when Roy E. Disney (Walt's nephew) successfully ousted Michael Eisner. Now, I have many thoughts on Eisner, and very few of them are positive. I do acknowledge that Eisner becoming CEO in 1984 was a movie that absolutely saved the company from bankruptcy: he helped revitalize the animation department and brokered some shrew financial deals. BUT -- and this is a huge but -- all magic comes with a price, and some of the changes Eisner implemented are just distasteful to me. For some reason, the FastPass system is one of them. I know it seems ubiquitous now, but if Disney hadn't led the way, would some version of it be in every theme park? And, yes. I take full advantage of it now, and book my FastPasses and have few qualms about skipping the line -- especially on Thunder Mountain, because that line is SO BORING to wait in. But one of the things that separates Disney from, well, everyone, is that their rides are so intricately tied into the stories they tell. Some would call this opportunistic, some would praise the synergy of Disney's marketing, and that's fine. But the point is that when you ride a Disney ride, you're not just riding a coaster -- you're riding a coaster with a story that you can immerse yourself in. And part of the joy of visiting a Disney park is experiencing that story with your family -- and that story is often told while you're waiting in line, with your family. Skip the line and you skip the story and the bonding time with your loved ones. And that is a very un-Disney thing. 😢

But I digress. Like, a lot.

The point is that there are reports that Iger has said he's stepping down from the CEO role -- and means it. Now, he's said 2019 is his end date, so who knows? A lot can change by then.

But. If he does step down...well, I think we have a right to be hesitant and concerned about what this means for Disney. While you could say that Iger has done similar things as Eisner -- after all, like Eisner, he's taken the company to a new financial level by acquiring both Marvel and LucasFilm and, also like Eisner, he's overseen the opening of an international park (Eisner had Disneyland Paris, Iger had Shanghai Disney)  -- he's done so in a manner that somehow seems true to Walt's vision and "feel" for the company. And the fact that he was approved by Walt's nephew carries a great deal of weight for me. (The whole drama is fascinating to me -- I highly recommend reading up on it, or reading Roy E. Disney's resignation letter to Eisner.)

Regardless...I'll be curious to see who's tapped for his replacement...