The Ride of a Lifetime
Lessons Learned From Robert Iger’s 15 Years As the Disney CEO
Succession
When Robert Iger found out that he was going to be named the sixth CEO of the The Walt Disney Company, one of the first people he called among his family, friends, and mentors was Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Iger’s former boss, then-CEO Michael Eisner, had a rocky relationship with Jobs who was the CEO and majority owner of the most successful animation company out there: Pixar. Salvaging this bitter relationship would prove to be paramount in revitalizing Disney Animation Studios at the beginning of Iger’s tour of duty.
Acquisitions
In his memoir, The Ride of a Lifetime, Iger details how the friendship he forged with Jobs was instrumental in 2006 when Disney acquired Pixar for $7.4 billion to embark on the future of animation, technology, and storytelling. The book takes us on a captivating journey with Iger at the helm as he led the conglomerate through its acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm (includes the world-renowned Star Wars mythology), and most recently, 21st Century Fox.
Digital Transformation Era
He was acutely aware of the changing landscape in media and entertainment and embodied the mantra “innovate or die” from…
