Bob Iger has taken over as CEO of The Walt Disney Company (again) after it was announced that Bob Chapek would no longer fill the role.
The news was about as stunning as Iger’s initial announcement that he would be stepping down in early 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic would force Disney to halt theme park operations. The company’s Board of Directors had voted earlier in 2022 to extend Chapek’s by three years — after the then-CEO had already faced criticism for price increases in the parks, Annual Pass program changes, and even his political decisions regarding Disney’s response to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education (or “Don’t Say Gay” per critics) law. So, why was the decision to replace Chapek with Iger made now, and why so (seemingly) sudden?