In a new interview with CNBC, Disney Chairman Bob Iger explains why he’s leaving the company, which he says he first began thinking about after feeling he was becoming too dismissive of other’s opinions.
“Over time, I started listening less and maybe with a little less tolerance of other people’s opinions, maybe because of getting a little bit more overconfident in my own, which is sometimes what happens when you get built up,” Iger told CNBC’s David Faber in an exclusive interview.
If you didn’t know, Iger has been running the Walt Disney Company since 2005–a stint, which went until 2020. Last year he stepped down as CEO and stayed on as chairman through the COVID-19 pandemic. Bob Chapek stepped into the position of CEO after Iger changed roles. Although, at the end of 2021, Iger will be officially giving up his role in the company completely.
One point Iger mentioned during his interview with Faber was his high level of confidence, which he said sometimes caused him to be too set in his ways with big decisions.
“I became a little bit more dismissive of other people’s opinions than I should have been,” said Iger. “That was an early sign that it was time. It wasn’t the reason I left, but it was a contributing factor.”
As we all know, given certain changes that have happened over the past year since Chapek has stepped into the role as CEO, many fans have had mixed feelings about the direction the Walt Disney Company is headed. Iger commented on Chapek’s future with the company, saying: “Look, the world is changing dramatically, and it’s important for the CEO of a company to address all of those changes rapidly,” Iger said. “Bob [Chapek] is going to address them probably differently perhaps than I may have. But that’s neither good nor bad. I think change, I think generally speaking, change is good. Change isn’t necessarily bad.”
What are your thoughts on Bob Iger leaving the Walt Disney Company for good after 2021? Let us know in the comments!
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