Mouse House Misses Out: Disney's Failed Bids for James Bond and Twitter Revealed Alongside Apple Merger Talks!
Bob Iger, after stepping down as Disney CEO, revealed details of his past acquisition strategies, including successful purchases of Pixar, Marvel, and "Star Wars," alongside failed bids for James Bond and Twitter. He also disclosed previously unknown merger discussions with Apple, culminating in his post-Disney role as an adviser and venture partner at Thrive Capital.
Bob Iger, who recently concluded his second tenure as Disney CEO in March, shared insights into his strategic vision and missed opportunities during an exit interview with the Financial Times. His ambitious spending spree led to the successful acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, and "Star Wars." Iger specifically highlighted the acquisition of Pixar in May 2006 for $7.4 billion, describing it as a moment when the company "felt unstoppable" and "the clouds lifted and the sun started to shine again."
Iger's list of desired acquisitions was extensive, including not only Marvel and "Star Wars" but also the iconic James Bond franchise. While Disney successfully integrated Marvel and "Star Wars" into its portfolio, the James Bond series ultimately remained out of reach, eventually being acquired by Amazon.
Among the near-misses, Iger recounted being close to purchasing Twitter from owner Jack Dorsey at a "very attractive price." His vision was to leverage Twitter as a global distribution platform for Disney. However, Iger admitted to getting "cold feet" on the morning the deal was to finalize, worried it would become "a horrible distraction." This decision ultimately led to Elon Musk acquiring Twitter and transforming it into X.
Intriguingly, Iger also revealed that "some conversations" about a merger between Apple and Disney did occur. He had previously speculated in his 2019 memoir that such a combination might have happened if Steve Jobs were still alive. Iger envisioned this potential merger as "truly transformational and equal," but conceded that "Apple didn’t show that much interest," and the discussions ultimately "never went anywhere."
Following his departure from Disney in March, where he was succeeded by Josh D’Amaro, Iger took on a new professional venture. In April, it was reported that he became an adviser to Thrive Capital, a New York-based venture-capital firm founded in 2009 by Josh Kushner. By September 2022, Iger officially joined Thrive Capital as a venture partner.