Steve Jobs as Disney CEO

[cmark]

What would Disney look like with ME replaced with Steve Jobs? Jobs is very similar to Walt Disney: creative, daring, sometimes not fiscally smart. The HP sponsorship might not stick around, but think of what would happen. (And yes, I am a Mac person).

 

[WDSearcher]

Jobs certainly has the creativity (or, at least, knows how to recruit and surround himself with creative people), but I think he would be a bit too focused on the animation empire he wants to create and wouldn't really spend the time or effort on the parks or ABC or live-action films or ESPN or any of the other factions of the company. I can see him as part of a leadership team, perhaps, or maybe even the head of animation (would he WANT to bring back traditional 2D animation, do you think?) but I don't see him as the overall leader.

I don't think Jobs has ever had the desire to be in charge of a multi-media entertainment conglomerate, has he? He's a tech guy with an outstanding record with computer animation and storytelling. But he just doesn't seem like someone who would care, one way or the other, about what kind of shows or attractions are going into the parks (unless they included Pixar characters) or about ABC's ratings. From what I've read about him, he's just never struck me as someone who wanted all that.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Originally posted by WDSearcher
. . . I don't think Jobs has ever had the desire to be in charge of a multi-media entertainment conglomerate . . .

1) MAYBE Disney should NOT be a multi-media conglomerate.
2) MAYBE it should divest and get back to it's core business.

 

[Chuck S]

1) MAYBE Disney should NOT be a multi-media conglomerate.
2) MAYBE it should divest and get back to it's core business.

And what core business would that be? Movies? Sell off the theme parks, ABC, ESPN and radio?

Or is their core business theme parks? Sell off all movies studios, ABC, ESPN, etc.

Or, is their core business "family" entertainment? So keep Disney Channel, Parks, and "Disney" movies. Sell off other studios/labels, ABC, ESPN, Lifetime....

Disney will always be an enterainment conglomerate. Steve Jobs is NOT the person to single handedly run Disney.

 

[Snowgod]

Disney CO. needs to seperate its divisions from one another and let them do their thing without the CEO looking over every single thing. Or just get rid of ME

 

[DisneyJules]

snowgod, you stole the words out of my mouth. Steve Jobs should be looking after the Animation department. I think it's crazy to have one head for the entire company. Why not place people who really love and have a passion for their department. And yes, Disney should not be a multi-media conglomerate, they've grown way to large over the years and neglected so many aspects of the company.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by DisneyJules
snowgod, you stole the words out of my mouth. Steve Jobs should be looking after the Animation department.

If that were to happen, do you think he would be interested at all in reviving 2D animation? He's never really made any comments that I've read that speak to the value of traditional 2D work. And, based on the criticisms and insults he's leveled at Disney Animation's creative teams, it seems to me that if he DID take over Animation, he'd just totally clean house and replace everyone at Disney Animation with Pixar people. If part of the point of getting rid of ME is to bring back the magic of Disney and Disney animation, do you see Jobs doing that? I don't. Doesn't mean I don't think Jobs is a creative powerhouse, I just don't think he'd be worried nearly as much about re-vitalizing Disney Animation as he would about growing Pixar.

 

[Snowgod]

Jobs is smart enough to let creative people, create. Other than DOS, Apple computer has been the leader of most computer advancements, just like Pixar has led the way in it's field.

 

[meowthew2]

Based on Steve Jobs' childish and unprofessional remarks about Disney earlier this week, I don't think he'd be any better a CEO for the company than Michael Eisner.

And Disney pretty much has to remain a multimedia conglomerate -- it's the only way to survive against the competition. But there are definitely non-core parts of the company that are weighing it down and should be sold off -- ABC Family, the partially-owned cable networks (Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, A&E, Biography, History, History International, E!, and style Network) Miramax, US Weekly, and most of the music division for starters.

 

[Galahad]

Apple computer has been the leader of most computer advancements

But that's just it. Many will convincingly argue that Apple has always made a better product. But even with that better product, Jobs could barely keep the company afloat at times. The Jobs/Apple model is at the other end of the spectrum from the Eisner model and, IMO, just as bad for WDC.

 

[OnWithTheShow]

Stanley Gold said today on CNBC that if the job were to become available and Jobs was interested he would be on a very short list of potential candidates.

 

[airlarry!]

Hire John Lassiter as the President, get a numbers guy to be the CEO, and then let him decide what direction Disney should go in(with a prerequ that the Traditional Animation be maintained...)

Put Jobs on the board, and swallow up Pixar.

Now how hard was all that?

 

[jksluvdis]

I think your right airlarry, Lassiter would be a good president. He has worked for Disney, and really knows how to make good quality movies, after all he is the one responsible for the content of most if not all of the Pixar movies. Jobs is more on the technological end. Loosing Pixar is not near as bad as loosing Lassiter.....

 

[OnWithTheShow]

I could see Lassiter as president of Feature Animation, or even all motion picture content, but not of the whole company.

 

[airlarry!]

Mr. Show:

I'm curious. Why not? I

'm thinking of the obvious parallels between Walt the dreamer (who was an artist, not a businessman, CPA, engineer, lawyer or any of those things) and he was the President-like head of a company that had movies, animated features, parks, and other ventures...and how Lassiter could be a dreamer like that.

 

[DisneyJules]

Originally posted by WDSearcher
If that were to happen, do you think he would be interested at all in reviving 2D animation? He's never really made any comments that I've read that speak to the value of traditional 2D work. And, based on the criticisms and insults he's leveled at Disney Animation's creative teams, it seems to me that if he DID take over Animation, he'd just totally clean house and replace everyone at Disney Animation with Pixar people. If part of the point of getting rid of ME is to bring back the magic of Disney and Disney animation, do you see Jobs doing that? I don't. Doesn't mean I don't think Jobs is a creative powerhouse, I just don't think he'd be worried nearly as much about re-vitalizing Disney Animation as he would about growing Pixar.

You have a VERY good point. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.