
This is a tremendous honor for the Walt Disney Company CEO.
Bob Iger has had a wild year since he stepped back into the role of Chief Executive Officer of Disney. He has made quite a splash since returning to his post, and the world has been watching him closely ever since. On top of some significant changes and announcements within the Parks, Mr. Iger has also been deeply involved in the politics of Florida.
He has now been recognized for his contributions by TIME Magazine. This year, he was honored as one of TIME’s 100 most influential people. In his interview with the magazine, Iger revealed his insight on the future of Disney and its relationship with Florida.
Bob Iger Discusses Florida Politics
It’s no secret that Bob Iger has been in the public eye a lot this year. This is for two main reasons; his involvement in Florida politics and his significant cost-cutting measures within the company. During his interview with TIME, Iger discussed both issues.
When it comes to the 7 o00 employees that will be terminated from Disney by summer, Iger reiterated that it is a necessary move for the company. He explains that the reductions are part of his plan to focus the company’s talent on “fewer, better” projects. Iger explains;
“If you look at the reductions that we’re making, they’re designed to invest the right amount of money in great creativity. The more efficient you are at running a company, the more you can spend on what is the most necessary. In this case, it’s quality and creativity.”
“We want to continue to make programs that don’t necessarily fit into one of our core brands, but we probably should make less of them. I think actually curation is a good thing, because it probably forces more discipline on us in terms of quality. The more you make, typically, you dilute quality. And we’re looking to do the opposite.”
Disney CEO Speaks on Florida Politics
Bob Iger also answered the question that has been on everyone’s mind: “Did you checkmate Ron DeSantis? In Bob Iger’s mind, Walt Disney World is for the state of Florida first and foremost. He explains;
“Disney World opened just over 50 years ago. It was the vision and the dream of Walt Disney, probably the most ambitious thing he ever did—turning swampland in Central Florida into a business that employs over 75,000 people, that is visited by tens of millions of people every year, that is a major tourist destination in the United States, and for the state of Florida, that creates huge value for our company and its employees, and for the state of Florida itself.”
“Our sole goal in Florida is to continue creating that value for all those constituencies. All we want is a relationship with the state that enables us to continue to do that. We have the wherewithal and we have the desire to continue to invest there to grow that business so that we can hire more people so that we can increase our attendance, and so that we can basically increase more value for the Walt Disney Company and for the state of Florida. It’s that simple.”
Iger also expressed that he would be open to meeting with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in person. TIME also asked Mr. Iger about his plans for finding a new successor. He explains his process of finding the next CEO, saying;
“Well, it’s not only one of my tasks; it’s the primary priority of the board. They’re meeting on a regular basis, defining what qualities we’re looking for and what people we might want to consider. Given the events of the last couple of years, it’s not only a priority, but will get more time, more attention, more focus than it did before. We’ve always viewed it as an important decision. But given the fact that I’m not here forever and and we had some difficulties these last couple of years, it’s getting more attention than than it has in the past.”
This interview was very interesting and revealed a lot about where CEO Bob Iger’s head is currently at.