[Book in the News] The Management Secrets of Bob Iger Who Completed the 'Disney Empire'

The Life of Disney CEO Bob Iger in 'The Ride of a Lifetime'

"The King of Disneyland" (The Economist, UK), "Deal Maker" (Bloomberg, US).

These are nicknames given to Robert Allen 'Bob' Iger, CEO of Disney. Taking the helm as Disney CEO in 2005, he led the group’s golden era by consecutively acquiring Hollywood’s top content companies such as Pixar, Marvel Entertainment, and 21st Century Fox, earning the title "King of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)." Through Iger’s autobiography, The Ride of a Lifetime, we can explore the secrets behind building the world’s largest content empire, Disney.

Published in 2020, The Ride of a Lifetime details his journey from starting as a production assistant at ABC in the US, becoming the right-hand man to Michael Eisner, Disney’s fifth CEO, and ultimately rising to lead Disney as the top content company in the world.

The book vividly describes the most intense moments of Iger’s career, particularly the fierce battles involved in acquiring Hollywood’s prime content companies like Pixar, Marvel, and 21st Century Fox. Throughout the process, Iger humorously shares the life lessons, management know-how, and principles he gained.

A highlight of the M&A episodes recorded in the book is the arduous negotiation process to acquire Pixar from Apple founder Steve Jobs.

Bob Iger CEO / Photo by Yonhap News

Before making an acquisition offer, Iger first sought a "human" connection with Jobs. After days of discussions about Apple’s new product development ideas, which Jobs was most interested in at the time, Iger finally received Jobs’ permission to "start acquisition negotiations."

Iger’s strategy of building human trust before discussing business was repeated in the Marvel and 21st Century Fox acquisition negotiations. His core belief is "to make the other party feel they are dealing with someone who speaks a language they can understand."

He advises that every executive in the creative business must first have a mindset that respects creators. "Creating something requires a powerful passion, and creators with such passion inevitably react sensitively when someone questions their vision or execution," and "one must pay utmost attention to how much that creation means to them (the creators)."

Although Iger stepped down from the front lines of management in 2020, he returned as Disney’s CEO on the 21st after former CEO Bob Chapek resigned. According to foreign media such as Bloomberg, Iger’s return was reportedly due to pressure from Disney’s senior executives who were dissatisfied with Chapek’s business strategy. The management philosophy of Iger, revolving around the two pillars of "trust" and "respect for creators," still lives and breathes within Disney.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.