Will Chapek Remain in Charge at Disney? 

Speculation continues regarding Bob’s tenure at the top.

The most striking line from the entire article was the lede: 

From 1984 to 2020, the company had only two CEOs: Michael Eisner from 1984 to 2005 and Bob Iger 2005 to 2020. Now Bob Chapek, with two years in the job, is facing a staff revolt…

The Hollywood Reporter

Of course, there’s nothing like “a staff revolt” following a feud with one of the most popular actors on the planet, prefaced by a pandemic, to begin a tenure. But that remains the predicament of “the other Bob.”

Working to correct several missteps and unforced errors, Chapek continues to attempt to find purchase in the board room of The Walt Disney Company. 

Tough Times Continue

And Bob (the Successor) continues to find headlines like the one atop the THR article we’re dissecting now.  

Bob Chapek’s Missteps Fuel Confidence Crisis at Disney

“[I]nsiders are speculating about his longevity in the job and who might succeed him (entertainment chief Peter Rice and ex-CFO Tom Staggs would seem to be favorites),” posted The Holywood Reporter‘s Kim Masters. “His contract is up in 11 months… [and it] is unclear at this point whether Chapek, 61, can execute a reset with Disney staff and creative partners.”

• Item: According to THR – a major Disney management retreat was postponed.
• Item: The article explains that longtime insiders remain unsurprised “at the mess.”
• Final item: THR caught the mouse by the tail when Masters wrote: 

One of Disney’s high-profile creative partners thinks the underlying issue is that Chapek — numbers-oriented and bottom-line-focused — hasn’t shown he understands the importance of the employees who bring the magic to the Magic Kingdom.

And more than any single news item the above quote seems more prescient than any sound byte.

Stay tuned, Mouseketeers. Stay tuned.

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