Walt Disney Company CEO Bog Iger has said he would be willing to meet with Governor Ron DeSantis to negotiate a truce after an escalating feud between the Republican official and the House of Mouse.
“I don’t see this as a situation for us to go to the mattresses. If the governor of Florida would like to meet with me to discuss all this, of course I would be happy to do so,” Iger said. Time magazine in an interview published Thursday.
“You know, I’m someone who has typically respected our elected officials and the responsibility they have, and there would be no reason why I shouldn’t,” he added.
It comes as DeSantis’ appointees battle the Disney World board of directors for control of the Florida resort, in a feud that stemmed from Disney’s opposition to the governor’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Meanwhile, in the extended interview for the annual Time 100 issue, Iger also revealed that his recent return to lead Disney, replacing his own hand-picked successor Bob Chapek, was inspired by the late Apple founder Steve Jobs.
Walt Disney Company CEO Bog Iger has said he would be willing to meet with Governor Ron DeSantis to negotiate a truce after an escalating feud
DeSantis’ appointees on the Disney World board of directors vie for control of the Florida resort in a feud that stemmed from Disney’s opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law
Jobs, who died in 2011, was a close friend and ally of Iger’s and served as a Disney board member after the company acquired its Pixar film studio in an all-stock deal worth $7.4 billion.
Like Iger, Jobs famously returned to lead Apple as CEO after an absence, running the company he founded from 1997 until his death, following his resignation in 1985.
“He was brought back to a company he founded — very different circumstances,” Iger told Time.
“But talking to him when I did, and thinking about his experiences, I learned a lot from that.
“One is when you are brought back and you agree to come back, you have to do so with incredible enthusiasm and not an ounce of hesitation.
“And then you have to know very quickly what you’re supposed to achieve and what you can achieve,” he said.
Iger, who served as CEO of Disney from 2005 to early 2020, returned to lead the company in November after his hand-picked successor Chapek failed to inspire shareholder and board confidence.
Though Disney’s feud with DeSantis began during Chapek’s tenure, it’s now up to Iger to settle the dispute, in which the governor seeks to strip the company of some independent control it has over its sprawling Florida resort.
In the Time interview, Iger argued that Disney World “creates tremendous value for our company and its employees, and for the state of Florida itself.”
Our sole purpose in Florida is to continue to create that value for all those constituencies. All we want is a relationship with the state that will allow us to continue to do that,” he added.
Iger also revealed that his recent return to lead Disney was inspired by the late Apple founder Steve Jobs. The two men, seen together in 2006, were good friends for many years
DeSantis is trying to strip the company of some independent control it has over its sprawling Florida resort
Last year, after Disney cut off political donations in Florida over the “Don’t Say Gay” law, Florida lawmakers ended the self-government privileges Disney World had held since 1967.
DeSantis retaliated by appointing the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which was controlled by Disney and oversaw the development of Disney World.
However, before the DeSantis board took control, Disney officials and the old board struck a deal that allowed the company to evade the new board’s control, using an obscure legal clause controlling the King Charles III name.
The clause, designed to bypass legal impediments to deals forever, says Disney’s provisions will remain in effect “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III.”
Earlier this week, DeSantis’ appointees on the Disney World board of directors launched a new bid to expand their authority over the resort.
Central Florida Tourism Oversight District regulators have introduced a resolution saying the board has “superior authority” over all land development decisions for the 27,000 acres that make up Walt Disney World, including two small Disney-controlled towns in the district. The council will vote on the resolution next week.