Bob Iger Opens Up About Leaving Disney CEO Position

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Following the news of his departure, Bob Iger has now opened up about stepping down as Disney CEO and what his new role will be.

On Tuesday, it was announced that Bob Iger would be leaving the Disney CEO role and succeeded by Bob Chapek, who was previously Disney’s parks chairman. Bob Iger has been in the Disney CEO role since 2000, succeeding Michael Eisner. Bob Iger’s tenure under Disney will be best known for the various accusations made like Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and most recently, 20th Century Fox.

Bob Iger has been teasing for sometime that he planned on leaving Disney, but some still found it to be a surprise since it was said that his departure was “effective immediately.” In an interview with The New York Times, Bob Iger opened up about leaving the Disney leadership role:

“It’s only abrupt in other people’s eyes because we haven’t been talking about it publicly. I have been discussing this with the board for a number of months. I basically described what I thought my best use was given that our asset base and strategy are pretty much in place. And that was to fully focus on the creative side of our business and making sure that our creative pipelines are vibrant.”

Bob Iger also clarified about his new role during the transition as Bob Chapek takes over Disney and admits that he considered creating a chief operating officer role for him at the company:

“But I did not believe that would bestow on him the kind of autonomy that I wanted him to have during this transition. I’m not going to suddenly be working three days a week. My new role is a full-time job.”

And as far as Bob Iger potentially running for president, all he had was this to say:

“I think it’s a little late for that.”

What do you think Bob Iger’s biggest accomplishment under Disney was? Sound-off in the comments below!

In addition to acquiring major movie studios, Bob Iger also launched several brand-new theme park attractions, a record-breaking amount of films reaching a billion dollars, Avengers: Endgame becoming the highest-grossing film of all-time, Star Wars: The Force Awakens earning the top spot domestically, numerous awards, and the launch of Disney Plus last fall.

Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on Disney’s future with Bob Iger and Bob Chapek in their new roles!

Source: The New York Times

Ryden Scarnato

Ryden Scarnato

Ryden's affection for all things DC, Marvel, and Star Wars has led him to entertainment journalism at Heroic Hollywood as a News Editor.