Bob Chapek on rumors that Bob Iger knew COVID was coming
Disney's former CEO Bob Chapek is going public with claims that his predecessor Bob Iger may have known a pandemic was coming before handing over the job — an unflattering look at how power really works at one of the world's biggest media companies.
- Chapek took over Disney in early 2020, weeks before COVID shut the parks and wiped out most of the company's revenue.
- Several people outside Disney told him Iger likely knew more than the public did about a pandemic ahead, though Iger has denied COVID played any part in his exit.
- Chapek ended up laying off more than half of Disney's 200,000 workers while also racing to build a streaming business a decade behind Netflix.
- He says he was taking "friendly sniper fire" from inside the company the whole time, and was pushed out in late 2022 just months after the board extended his contract.
- Small slights added up, including Iger refusing to give up the CEO office and its private shower.
Outlook: Expect more score-settling over the Disney succession as the book lands, with Iger's own legacy and the question of who follows him back in the spotlight.