In Defense of Bob Chapek

[starlite_]

It’s a dog whistle. If discussing politics is against the rules, then I would think making statements that are meant to invoke particular political ideologies would also be frowned upon. Additionally, I’d think that lamenting Disney’s politics would also fall under that umbrella but for some reason does not.

Precisely.

 

[GAN]

just curious where you are basing your logic on this one, sure there are charismatic CEO's out there like Musk, but there are plenty more that i wouldn't consider relatable, for instance Tim Cook. I would also say that the casual person didn't know a lot about Iger, and Eisner tried to be charismatic, but it blew up in his face when he tried. That just feels like a convenient argument to make because you don't like him personally

Tim Cook may not be “outgoing” but he understands how he needs to present himself. There are plenty of interviews with him being open, forthright, and friendly …at the very least he “appears” approachable. He sold me a couple years ago when I finally bought into Apple.

You might guess, I don’t know Chapek personally …but i get the feeling neither does Wall Street. I’m reading To Pixar and Beyond by Lawrence Levy who Jobs hired to handle the CFO duties and turn Pixar from a graphics company to an entertainment giant. Very interesting all the back door deals and personalities you have to manage in order to gain the confidence of Wall Street. Not only do you need to sell your business, you need to sell yourself. That’s what I was getting at.

 

[Sweettears]

I don’t agree that Disney’s motive for increasing prices is to thin crowds. I think they’re just trying to see what the market will tolerate, and to see how aggressively they can burn the candle at both ends(increasing price, maintaining stagnant wages and understaffing, and taking away from the experiences and amenities offered). I agree with everything else you’ve said though.

They have said as much publicly in the past.

 

[Pickles516]

They have said as much publicly in the past.

They’ve said they’re trying to reduce crowds or that they’re testing to see how much they can milk out of people without losing numbers?

 

[Sweettears]

They’ve said they’re trying to reduce crowds or that they’re testing to see how much they can milk out of people without losing numbers?

Reducing the crowds. In Disney speak enhancing the customer experience.

 

[GAN]

Reducing the crowds. In Disney speak enhancing the customer experience.

I always thought the term was… “Due to guest demand”

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Tim Cook may not be “outgoing” but he understands how he needs to present himself. There are plenty of interviews with him being open, forthright, and friendly …at the very least he “appears” approachable. He sold me a couple years ago when I finally bought into Apple.

You might guess, I don’t know Chapek personally …but i get the feeling neither does Wall Street. I’m reading To Pixar and Beyond by Lawrence Levy who Jobs hired to handle the CFO duties and turn Pixar from a graphics company to an entertainment giant. Very interesting all the back door deals and personalities you have to manage in order to gain the confidence of Wall Street. Not only do you need to sell your business, you need to sell yourself. That’s what I was getting at.

I’m confused what you mean by “wall street” if your talking about institutional investors, then I adamantly disagree, they are all about the business, not the personality leading that business. If you are talking about getting your company off the ground in the early days where institutions typically steer clear of, sure I could see selling yourself as part of the company. With Disney being the size it is, it doesn’t need to make those types of relationships, when a challenge arises they typically just buy whatever they’re lacking

 

[Pickles516]

Reducing the crowds. In Disney speak enhancing the customer experience.

Isn’t it extremely possible though that they’re full of it?

 

[Liquidice]

I posted this a moment ago, but just realized I meant to comment here - not on that thread....


I am not defending Bob C, I do not care for him, but logically this is not all his fault. In the same way an Administration installs people and plans before the next Administration comes in, the same exists here. Much of what Bob C is being faulted for was started by Bob Iger and those in his "administration". In the same way it takes years to undo what a previous administration has done, be it to improve or destroy, the same will be with Disney Corp. I hope he does something good now that he has been given 3 more years. Will he? I admit I am not "hopeful" because of the overall decline of Disney, but perhaps he can do something good for the parks.

GENERAL COMMENT: PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THIS ABOUT POLITICS. That was NOT my point.

I disagree with what you're saying here based off how this article talks about how Chapek has centralized and pulled in control of Disney to a very small group of people. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/20/disney-ceo-chapek-iger-falling-out.html

If you look, on the entertainment side, Kareem Daniel has controlled everything since 2020. So the people in power currently are Chapek's team.

just curious where you are basing your logic on this one, sure there are charismatic CEO's out there like Musk, but there are plenty more that i wouldn't consider relatable, for instance Tim Cook. I would also say that the casual person didn't know a lot about Iger, and Eisner tried to be charismatic, but it blew up in his face when he tried. That just feels like a convenient argument to make because you don't like him personally

Funny - I think of Musk as one of the worst public speakers, he comes across often times as someone who is not confident on stage and hesitating / unsure of himself when speaking imho - but still a good public figure because despite his issues with public speaking he still manages to have a public image that he is an inventor and a pioneer.

 

[EveV]

Thank you! As a financial advisor I have many clients who understand the markets drop sometimes and we just have to get through it. But I have a few who straight up blame me. I get the temptation. But it’s just not too accurate.

You have some nerve coming on these boards being so logical. How dare you?! In all honesty, I do agree with much of your perspective and find it overwhelming for anyone or business to navigate the gauntlet of the past few years, no matter how seasoned and well compensated. Even the Cast, from those who work in the parks to those in the corporate offices and far flung segments, who may have stepped in to new roles, having replaced those more Dyed-in-Disney Cast who were let go or furloughed, have taken a while to catch on to the Disney ethos and experience. Time is solution, albeit a frustrating one. I'll admit, Disney targeting a different customer has some left feeling disenfranchised and added to the melee.

In my role, I partner with clients to realize best possible outcomes-- including during CoVID, in spite of the challenges. It was very hard to game plan vs react, but sometimes we HAD to react and we are seeing the unintended consequences of those reactions, today. I don't see Disney any different than what a lot of companies are navigating right now.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Funny - I think of Musk as one of the worst public speakers, he comes across often times as someone who is not confident on stage and hesitating / unsure of himself when speaking imho - but still a good public figure because despite his issues with public speaking he still manages to have a public image that he is an inventor and a pioneer.

I agree with you on that!

 

[GAN]

I agree with you on that!

This is fairly typical behavior of someone who has Asperger’s …it has nothing to do with lack of confidence.

 

[GAN]

I’m confused what you mean by “wall street” if your talking about institutional investors, then I adamantly disagree, they are all about the business, not the personality leading that business. If you are talking about getting your company off the ground in the early days where institutions typically steer clear of, sure I could see selling yourself as part of the company. With Disney being the size it is, it doesn’t need to make those types of relationships, when a challenge arises they typically just buy whatever they’re lacking

The personality traits of a CEO certainly do have an impact on institutional investors -who own well over 50% of Disney stock. Five specific traits have been identified ….conscientiousness, neuroticism, extroversion, openness to experience, and agreeableness. These along with numbers help to make their investment decisions. And any CEO of a major public company knows this.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

The personality traits of a CEO certainly do have an impact on institutional investors -who own well over 50% of Disney stock. Five specific traits have been identified ….conscientiousness, neuroticism, extroversion, openness to experience, and agreeableness. These along with numbers help to make their investment decisions. And any CEO of a major public company knows this.

Haha way to google the big 5 . This was fun until it got outlandish

 

[GAN]

Haha way to google the big 5 . This was fun until it got outlandish

You have no idea what you're talking about..... I had to put it into terms you MIGHT understand!

 

[TheDailyMoo]

All our issues with Disney vis a vis this thread could also just be a microcosm of how everything in general is becoming worse/not what we personally would want/not how we would handle situations/the macro unhappiness of the world at large....ya know...all that fun stuff!

 

[Jonfw2]

All our issues with Disney vis a vis this thread could also just be a microcosm of how everything in general is becoming worse/not what we personally would want/not how we would handle situations/the macro unhappiness of the world at large....ya know...all that fun stuff!

Absolutely agreed! You think Chapek is bad? Go talk to an airline CEO.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Absolutely agreed! You think Chapek is bad? Go talk to an airline CEO.

i would also agree, "everyone out there believe that they could do a better job, or at least believes there is someone out there who could" lately, which is just playing with fire

 

[Jonfw2]

i would also agree, "everyone out there believe that they could do a better job, or at least believes there is someone out there who could" lately, which is just playing with fire

Well said. My other favorite is "anybody could be a CEO so why do they get paid so much??"

Okay...you try it then.

 

[Jrb1979]

i would also agree, "everyone out there believe that they could do a better job, or at least believes there is someone out there who could" lately, which is just playing with fire

I don't think I could do a better job. The way he's handled the parks has been a low point in his job. Covid is just an excuse. Yes it causes supply issues but Disney isn't the only park dealing with that. Yet many other parks are back to where they left off before Covid.