Bob Iger says he WILL step down in 2026 and insists he has ‘robust’ succession plans – as he also defends removing Disney ads from X because associating with Elon Musk was ‘not necessarily positive’
- Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed Tuesday that he will step down as company CEO in 2026 as planned and that succession planning is ‘robust’
- Iger, who returned to Disney in 2022, defended the removal of Disney’s ads from Elon Musk’s X platform at the New York Times Dealbook Summit on Wednesday.
- The 72-year-old also addressed the threat from activist investor Nelson Peltz
Bob Iger confirmed Tuesday that he will step down as CEO of Disney in 2026, as planned.
The decision has sometimes been questioned as a successor has not yet been publicly named and the media empire continues to face threats from activist investor Nelson Peltz, as well as a host of other issues.
Iger returned to the helm at Disney in November 2022 after his chosen successor Bob Chapek was forced out after less than a year in the role.
The 72-year-old told the New York Times Dealbook Summit on Wednesday that he would “certainly” resign when his contract expires in two years, and that the company’s succession process “is robust at this point.”
Iger also addressed Disney’s decision to pull its advertising from Elon Musk’s X Platform.
Bob Iger, 72, addressed the audience at the New York Times Dealbook Summit on Wednesday
Iger said dealing with Elon Musk was “not necessarily positive” for Disney
“I have a lot of respect for Elon and what he has accomplished,” Iger said.
“We know that Elon is larger than life in many ways, and that his name is strongly associated with the companies he founded or owns,” he explained.
“By him taking the position he did in a public way, we felt like the association wasn’t necessarily positive for us.”
Musk has been heavily criticized for making anti-Semitic comments on his X platform.
Apple also halted all advertising on X after owner Elon Musk agreed to a post on
Musk, who has 163 million followers on
On Friday, Axios reported that Apple would pause its advertising on the platform after 164 rabbis and activists called on Apple, Google, Amazon and Disney to stop advertising.
Iger, however, defended the CEO’s right to comment on geopolitical events as “completely reasonable.”
Iger, 72, (left) returned to the helm at Disney in November 2022 after his chosen successor Bob Chapek (right) was forced out after less than a year in the role
Regarding threats from activist investor Nelson Peltz, who is trying to leverage his stake in the company to gain seats on the board, Iger said the board had a “responsibility to listen to investors” but did not want to be distracted.
‘The board has a duty to listen to investors. I’m sure the board will hear from them about their plans,” Iger said.
He added that he told the board that “obviously we have to deal with them in some way, but don’t force me to take my eye off the ball (in running the company).”
‘It’s not like we have a number of empty (board) seats.’