Michael Eisner and Frank Wells

Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner Voices Support For Disney’s Future as Bob Iger Takes the Reins Again

There has been a lot going on at The Walt Disney Company in the last week and a half. This started with the news that Bob Chapek had been let go as Disney CEO and that Bob Iger would be returning to the role. This led to Iger immediately asserting his influence and restructuring the company, leading to Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution Chairman Kareem Daniel’s departure from the company.

The news of Bob Iger’s return has been met with positive reactions by those on Wall Street and those who are Disney fans. It also has been met with support by former CEO of The Walt Disney Company Michael Eisner. Eisner led the company from 1984 to 2005. Initially, when the news that Bob Iger was returning as CEO of Disney, Eisner seemed enthusiastic about the development. On Twitter, Eisner tweeted “Welcome back to Disney, @RobertIger!”

Yesterday, Bob Iger hosted his first town hall meeting since returning as CEO. During this meeting, he spent most of the time answering questions about the company. In short, two big takeaways were that there will be a big focus on creativity and Disney will not be merging with Apple. Today, Michael Eisner tweeted again about The Walt Disney Company offering words of support. The tweet seems to reference the last couple of years under former Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s leadership. Eisner also connected the current challenges Disney is facing with the company’s founder Walt Disney. It says, “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 has a legacy of showing support for whoever is in charge of The Walt Disney Company. Earlier this year Eisner voiced his support for Chapek. Eisner said, “I am a big fan of Disney. I am a fan of both Bobs. Yes I hired him [Chapek]. Is he the same executive as I am, or Bob [Iger] is, or anybody is? He is his own guy. He was very good at Disney when I was there. He took our home video business from a rental to a sell-through business. That was very risky. He did a very good job in the parks. I am a shareholder. I think he’s going to do very well.”

Since departing The Walt Disney Company in 2005, Michael Eisner has continued to show a love for the company. He has been known to tweet about great vacations taken to Walt Disney World (sometimes with grandkids), memories of experiences at Disney, and celebratory tweets of special anniversaries for the company, among other things. Any follower of Eisner can see that he continues to be invested in the future of the company and genuinely loves the company and the time he spent leading it. Through the ups and the downs, Eisner has steadfastly shown support for the company and has hoped for Disney’s success moving forward.

What do you think of Michael Eisner’s enthusiasm over Bob Iger’s return as CEO of The Walt Disney Company? Are you equally enthusiastic about Iger’s return? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!


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