Bob Iger

In 1974, Iger joined the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).[17][18] His first job was performing menial labor on television sets for $150 a week (over $700, adjusted for inflation).[8]

In 1989, he was named head of ABC Entertainment.[19] He served as president of the ABC Network Television Group from January 1993 to 1994, and was appointed as Capital Cities/ABC senior vice president in March 1993 and executive vice president in July 1993.[20] In 1994, Iger was named president and chief operating officer of ABC's corporate parent, Capital Cities/ABC.[21]

In 1995,[22] The Walt Disney Company purchased Capital Cities/ABC and renamed it ABC, Inc., where Iger remained president until 1999.[2]

On February 25, 1999, Disney named Iger the president of Walt Disney International, the business unit that oversees Disney's international operations, as well as chairman of the ABC Group, removing him from day-to-day authority at ABC. Disney called the change a promotion for Iger.[23]

Disney named Iger the president and chief operating officer (COO) on January 24, 2000, making him Disney's No. 2 executive under chairman and CEO, Michael Eisner. Disney had been without a separate president since Eisner assumed the role following the departure of Michael Ovitz in 1997, after sixteen months at Disney.[24]

As a result of a successful effort by Roy E. Disney to shake up the management of the company, Disney began a search for the next CEO to replace Eisner. On March 13, 2005, Disney announced that Iger would succeed Michael Eisner as CEO, and Iger was placed in charge of day-to-day operations, though Eisner held the title of CEO until he resigned on September 30, 2005.[25] One of Iger's first major decisions as CEO was to reassign Disney's chief strategic officer, Peter Murphy, and disband the company's Strategic Planning division.[26] Prior to Iger being named CEO, board members Roy E. Disney and Stanley Gold began a campaign called "save Disney" against Eisner.[27] In July 2005, Disney and Gold dropped the campaign and agreed to work with Iger.[28]

On January 24, 2006, under Iger's leadership, Disney announced it would acquire Pixar for $7.4 billion in an all-stock transaction.[29] In the same year, Iger also re-acquired the rights to Walt Disney's first star, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, from NBCUniversal by releasing sportscaster Al Michaels from ABC Sports to NBC Sports.[30]

Also in 2006, Roy E. Disney issued this statement regarding Iger:

Animation has always been the heart and soul of The Walt Disney Company, and it is wonderful to see Bob Iger and the company embrace that heritage by bringing the outstanding animation talent of the Pixar team back into the fold. This clearly solidifies The Walt Disney Company's position as the dominant leader in motion picture animation and we applaud and support Bob Iger's vision.[31]

In August 2009, Iger spearheaded negotiations that led Disney to acquire Marvel Entertainment and its associated assets for $4 billion. As of August 2014, Disney has recouped over $4 billion at the box office through the Marvel movies.[32] On October 7, 2011, Disney announced that Iger would become chairman of the board, following John Pepper's retirement from the board in March 2012.[33] On Tuesday November 15, 2011, Apple, Inc., led by CEO Tim Cook, named Iger to its board of directors. Iger was responsible for making Steve Jobs Disney's largest shareholder by its acquisition of Pixar.[34]

In October 2012, Iger signed a deal with film producer George Lucas to purchase Lucasfilm Ltd. for $4 billion following several months of negotiations. As a result, Disney acquired the rights to the Star Wars multimedia franchise and Indiana Jones.[35] Following its release on December 18, 2015, Star Wars: The Force Awakens grossed over $2 billion at the box office. In March 2016, Iger announced that the $5.5 billion Shanghai Disney Resort would open its doors on June 16, 2016.[36] In May 2016, Iger wrote in a Facebook post claiming that Disney has hired 11,000 new employees in the past decade at Disneyland, and 18,000 in the past decade. Iger specifically targeted Vermont Senator, Bernie Sanders, asking him how much he has contributed to job growth.[37]

Iger's contract as Disney's chairman and CEO was originally planned to run until June 30, 2018;[38][39] however, in March 2017, Disney announced that it was extending Iger's term to July 2, 2019, and said he would serve as a consultant for the following three years.[40][41] In December 2017, Disney extended Iger's contract through 2021.[42]

In July 2018, under Iger's leadership, Disney and 21st Century Fox shareholders approved a deal to allow Disney to purchase Fox assets.[43] The deal was finalized in March 2019.[44]

In April 2019, it was announced that Iger will depart from his position as CEO and chairman of Disney when his contract expires in 2021.[45][46] Iger resigned from Apple's board of directors on September 10, 2019, in order to avoid a conflict of interest as Disney and Apple prepare to launch competing streaming services Disney+ and Apple TV+.[47][48]

In September 2019, Iger released a memoir titled The Ride of a Lifetime[49] which, in part, focuses on Iger's years-long efforts to open Shanghai Disneyland Park; overall, he traveled to China 40 times over 18 years for the project.[8]

On February 25, 2020, Iger stepped down from CEO of the company, stating "With the successful launch of Disney's direct-to-consumer businesses and the integration of Twenty-First Century Fox well underway, I believe this is the optimal time to transition to a new CEO."[50][51] In April 2020, however, Iger resumed operational duties of the company as executive chairman to help the company through the COVID-19 pandemic.[52]

In October 2020, he became a director of massively-funded dairy-replacement startup Perfect Day.[53]

In 2019, Vanity Fair reported that actress Paz de la Huerta added Bob Iger to her lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein over allegations of rape, claiming he and previous CEO, Michael Eisner, "Made a series of decisions that allowed a range of actions by Harvey Weinstein that unacceptably harmed certain employees..."[54] Disney denied any knowledge of misconduct or settlements with victims during Weinstein's run at Miramax from 1993 to 2005.[55]

Variety reported that Bob Iger knew about a 2010 Oscar party where Pixar Chief, John Lasseter, was seen making out with a junior staffer. Sources told Variety that the executive's behavior around young women has been known within the company since the 1990s. Variety quoted one anonymous source as saying, ""They've known for a long time," the source said. "It has gone all the way to the top. I know personally that Bob was aware. ... Everybody was aware. They just didn't do anything about it." Disney declined comment for the article.[55] Further reported in the article is a quote from Amid Amidi, publisher of Cartoon Brew, that "This is not one guy going around acting inappropriately. This is one guy enabled by a massive corporate structure to act inappropriately."[55]