The craziest rumors surround the return of Bob Iger at the head of Disney. The one who was the leader of Mickey’s house for fifteen years, from 2005 to 2020, returns to the helm of the company. According to the Board of Directors, his mission is to find and train his replacement. The tone of the statement seems slightly alarmist: “The Board has determined that as Disney engages in a increasingly complex period of transformation of the sectorBob Iger is in a unique position to lead the company at this pivotal time.”
It did not take more for the most preposterous hypotheses to circulate on social networks. One of them is plausible, however, according to anonymous sources working at Disney. Bob Iger could sell the entertainment giant to Apple. This information, if true, would have the effect of a bomb. Such a takeover is not technically impossible. Disney’s market capitalization is close to $180 billion while Apple’s is around $2,385 billion. Suffice to say that the apple firm has ample means to afford Mickey’s box.
Apple was considering buying Disney back in the days of Steve Jobs
This transaction has been contemplated for a long time. Me Iger was a friend of Steve Jobs when the latter was the CEO of Apple. According to Disney employees, Bob Iger takes over the reins of the company with the mission of reselling it, this kind of operation being indeed in the genes of the leader. Under his first term, Disney built up a very prestigious catalog by buying Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and even 21st Century Fox in 2019. So many licenses that made Disney the media juggernaut it is today.
Apple would have everything to gain from acquiring Disney. Its Apple TV+ video streaming service would suddenly become a colossus capable of challenging Netflix and its 234 million subscribers. Would the transaction be cleared by US and European regulators? As in the case of the takeover of Blizzard by Microsoft, the latter fear that such a concentration willhinders free competition.
Source: CBR