In 2011, Steve Jobs’ death halted a Disney/Apple merger

The death of Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs in 2011 halted chances of a merger between Disney and Apple, according to former Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger during an interview with CNBC.

 

 

The former chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company has often found himself in the spotlight during his long career with Disney, and in the last few weeks, ahead of his departure from Disney on December 31, Bob Iger has given multiple interviews, answered questions about his successor, Bob Chapek, talked about some aspirations for the future, and even returned to the television station to forecast the weather one last time.

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In his interview with CNBC that aired on Tuesday, December 21, Bob Iger talked about his friendship with the late Apple founder, and he admitted that he never actually discussed a deal between The Walt Disney Company and Apple Inc., but that he feels sure the discussion would have eventually taken place.

“I’m pretty convinced we would have had that discussion; I think we would have gotten there,” the former Disney CEO explained during the interview, speaking about a possible Apple Disney merger.

Iger pointed out that Disney’s purchase of PIXAR in 2006 made Steve Jobs a major shareholder with the House of Mouse, and though no conversation ever took place between Disney CEO Bob Iger and Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Iger did mention the potential for a merger if Jobs had lived in his book, The Ride of a Lifetime.” Iger says the famous Apple founder enjoyed the benefits of the merging of “great technology” with “great creativity.”

Steve Jobs died in 2011 after battling cancer. He and Steve Wozniak are credited with the invention of the personal computer in a garage in the 1970s. The Spaceship Earth attraction has long paid homage to that creativity with an audio-animatronic likeness of Steve Jobs (or Steve Wozniak) at a desk in a garage near the topmost part of the ride track inside the attraction.

Jobs not only owned Apple, but he was part of the financial backing behind the creation of PIXAR Animation Studios. Jobs, John Lasseter, and Ed Catmull began PIXAR years before Toy Story made its theatrical debut. Disney purchased PIXAR for $7.4 billion in 2006.

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It’s interesting to think about what might have happened in an Apple Disney merger. Two giant companies merging–which one do you think would have bought out the other? Let us know in the comments!