In an interesting turn of events, with Disney's impending purchase of Pixar for $7.4 billion, Steve Jobs will become Disney's largest shareholder. Apple shareholders of course are concerned that he will take on significant responsibility at Disney, reducing his focus on Apple's success.
Jobs commented that with Pixar being folded into Disney, his time commitment will be signficantly less at Disney than it was at Pixar.
The roles if Jobs did want to take the helm at Disney are the CEO and Chairman of the Board positions. In the CEO post, Iger just replaced Eisner and Jobs commented to the Associated Press that his "interest is really just being on the board" (AP). The current Chairman of the Board, George Mitchell, completes his term next year and may decide to retire. Jobs remarked that he did not see himself becoming Disney's chairman, but didn't rule out the possibilty either.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-28-2006 @ 2:40PM
Mike said...
We must understand that Jobs will do the right thing with this investment and make Disney be even more successful in the future. His track record speaks for itself.
http://www.blogforcapital.com
4-28-2006 @ 3:01PM
Techie said...
In certain respects, the Disney of today is very much like the Apple before Steve Jobs returned to saved it. With so many new emerging companies in the media industry, it is very hard for Disney to compete. Many consumers may feel that Disney is an old-timer and cannot really keep up with all the new forms of technology. It is a large company, carrying with it a lot of bulk. The stagnant share price of Disney within the last 5 years reflects this.
This is exactly where Steve Jobs can come in and help. After returning to Apple, he basically rebranded the whole company. Decent Mp3 players are made by over a dozen companies. But why does everyone want an Ipod? It's obvious that Jobs is a marketing genius. And that is exactly what Disney needs. They have always delivered a good product. But they just need some rebranding for the modern generation. Mickey mouse just doesn't cut it anymore. Nonetheless, hopefully Jobs keeps his promise and continues to make Apple his number one priority.