Iger's Parting Advice to Disney Successor: 'Preserving the Status Quo Is a Mistake'
As he prepares to hand over the reins after nearly two decades at the helm, Disney CEO Bob Iger used the company's first-quarter earnings call to deliver a clear message to his expected successor: the future belongs to those who adapt.
While avoiding what he called "nostalgic" reflections, Iger pointedly warned that "trying to preserve the status quo is a mistake." This advice comes as the Disney board is reportedly finalizing its succession plan, with Bloomberg identifying Josh D'Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, as the leading candidate. Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, is also seen as a top internal contender.
Reflecting on his return to the CEO role in 2022, Iger stated, "The company is in much better shape today than it was three years ago." He credited a strategic overhaul, including a major reorganization that placed streaming accountability directly under content creators Dana Walden and Alan Bergman. "Three years ago that [streaming] business lost about $1.5 billion... you see the results this quarter where it's making more than $1 billion," Iger noted, framing it as a successful model of proactive change.
The call also revealed solid fiscal first-quarter results, though marred by a $110 million charge related to Disney's carriage dispute with YouTube TV last autumn.
Analyst & Industry Reaction:
"Iger is essentially writing the first line of his legacy memo," said Michael Roderick, a media analyst at Somerset Capital. "By framing the last three years as a 'fixing' period and highlighting the streaming turnaround, he's setting a very specific benchmark for performance and a mandate for continuous transformation."
Anya Sharma, a former studio executive and author of 'The Content Wars,' offered a sharper take: "This is classic Iger—elegantly sidestepping any discussion of the creative missteps and box-office struggles under his watch. Telling your successor not to 'preserve the status quo' is easy when you're the one who defined it. The real question is whether the next CEO has the latitude to make truly bold, disruptive moves, or just manage Iger's blueprint."
David Chen, host of the 'Media Decode' podcast, observed: "The subtext here is immense. Iger is publicly anointing a culture of innovation while the board chooses between a parks veteran (D'Amaro) and a content savant (Walden). His words are a warning against internal inertia, which is the biggest threat to any post-founder era."
The Disney board is expected to meet later this week to finalize the succession decision.