I Know Who Won’t Be Disney’s Next CEO
Every few months, MickeyBlog analyzes the Battle Royale that is the race to replace Bob Iger.
Everyone in Hollywood and Wall Street wants to become the next CEO of The Walt Disney Company.


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Alas, only two people will heavily influence this decision. One is Iger, and the other is Disney’s Chairman of the Board, James Gorman.
Since the announcement allegedly won’t happen for another year, the major contenders are currently jockeying for position.


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In three instances, the theoretically qualified individuals have watched their candidacies collapse.
So, I know who won’t be Disney’s next CEO. Here are the latest power rankings.
Dropping Out: Andrew Wilson


electronic Arts
Do you own stock in Electronic Arts? I hope for your sake that the answer is no, or, if you do, you bought after the crash.
You can play with the buttons here to realize just how poorly EA has performed lately.


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On December 3rd, 2024, the stock was worth $167.70. On January 30th, the stock fell as low as $112 in after-hours trading.
If you look at this as a graph, EA stock would make for a fun roller coaster ride. It’d be straight down for a while.


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As part of an absolutely brutal earnings report including future guidance, EA revealed it had missed the mark in several ways.
Most notably, the latest Dragon Age game was supposed to entice three million players. It got half that.


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The company’s soccer gaming revenue, its bread and butter, also fell well short of expectations.
A decade of terrible business decisions suddenly caught up with EA, which is great news for Disney fans. Why?


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Here’s an article I wrote in early November about EA CEO Andrew Wilson, a potential successor to Iger.
None of that applies now that Wilson has pulled a Bob Chapek with EA’s stock.


Photographer: Ben Nelms/Bloomberg via Getty Images
If anything, Wilson will be lucky to survive the year as EA’s CEO. He’s definitely not getting a promotion.
I will add that if Disney were interested in a merger/acquisition – Iger says they’re not – this would be the time.


Photographer: Ben Nelms/Bloomberg via Getty Images
EA’s pretty desperate right now and would happily listen to offers.
Dropping Out: Kevin Mayer and Thomas O. Staggs


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Quick, when’s the last time you heard mention of either of these two former Disney executives?
Honestly, those of you who read MickeyBlog frequently could probably answer, “The last time you mentioned them.”


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That’s probably true, as the co-leaders of Candle Media were in the same place last July as Wilson finds himself now.
Last summer, Candle Media scrambled for liquidity by cutting costs and restructuring.


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Since then, the talented executives have spent their time righting the ship at their own company.
If the former Disney proteges of Iger are still advising him on company matters, nobody seems to know it.


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While I’m confident both individuals would drop everything to take Iger’s call, I suspect their necessity has diminished.
Iger has Disney humming again, while Candle Media is in worse shape than the Washington Wizards. Trust me, that’s bad.


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Wilson, Mayer, and Staggs are all suffering the same fate.
Their industries, video games and streaming, excelled during the pandemic.


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With people stuck at hope, they spent their disposable income on at-home entertainment.
Now that society can thankfully go back outside, consumers have adjusted their spending philosophies.


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As a people, we’re more desperate than ever to engage in social settings.
It’s like when an authority figure tells you not to do something.


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That makes the idea more tantalizing and triggers our innate rebellious streak.
But while we’re at concerts, sporting events, and parties, we’re not playing video games or streaming as much.


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That’s killing companies like EA and Candle Media who mistook a short-term trend as the permanent new normal.
A Disney CEO cannot afford to make mistakes like that. It’s how we get office buildings where the Star Wars Hotel used to be.
Stock Is Soaring: Alan Bergman
I do not believe for a second that Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman will succeed Iger as CEO.
Still, I wrote this piece last month about the surging strength of Bergman’s resume.


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A few days ago, Moana 2 officially joined the $1 billion box office club, as we knew would happen during Thanksgiving Weekend.
In the process, Bergman claimed all three $1 billion releases of 2024.
A clean sweep is exceptionally impressive in such a highly competitive industry.
Bergman’s success also spilled over to streaming, where Disney films were four of the most-watched titles of 2024.


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Obviously, Bergman doesn’t deserve all the credit there, but it happened in his division on his watch.
Still, momentum is only as strong as tomorrow’s starting pitcher.


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So, Bergman’s candidacy could cool if Captain America: Brave New World and/or the Snow White remake disappoint.
The former appears unlikely, at least on opening weekend. As for the latter, well, I’m glad I’m not in charge of marketing that one.
Up and Down: Jimmy Pitaro


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In the Bergman piece I linked earlier, I discussed Pitaro’s credentials as well.
At the time, a story had just dropped in The New York Times. It revealed the tumultuous final days of a former ESPN exec.


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Pretty much everyone at ESPN came across poorly in that story…except for Jimmy Pitaro.
The article detailed cultural changes that have occurred under Pitaro’s watch to remove the more toxic elements at ESPN.


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Still, Lee Fitting worked for Pitaro for five years before he finally got the ax.
No matter how good a job Pitaro did in cleaning up the mess – or his publicist did with the NYT – that’s hard to ignore.


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We know that there are skeletons in ESPN’s and thereby Pitaro’s closet.
That’s beside the fact that as a sports executive, he has little experience running the other entertainment and theme park businesses.
So, I still view Pitaro as an afterthought in this race.
Holding Steady: D’Amaro and Walden
Josh D’Amaro and Dana Walden remain the primary contenders within Disney.
Both have a strong claim to replace Iger as CEO, as each one’s business is performing very well.


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Walden’s tenure as Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment has included a historic number of Emmy Awards.
Meanwhile, she keeps releasing hit shows like High Potential and that weird Don Johnson boat thing (Doctor Odyssey).


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As for D’Amaro, I’ve tracked the sellouts for Lightning Lane Premier Pass, and they’re astounding.
Yes, they occurred during the holiday season, but that’s part of the genius of the premise.


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D’Amaro uncovered a new avenue for monetization that didn’t impinge on anyone else’s vacation enjoyment.
As an executive who worked closely with Iger and Bob Chapek, D’Amaro seems to have learned a special skill.


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He can demonstrate Chapek’s ruthless financial efficiency while maintaining Iger’s charm.
That’s one of the reasons I’d favor him over Walden, but I don’t get a vote.


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Unless something changes, Walden remains the favorite to succeed Iger.
The Outsiders


Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Still, I’ll circle back to something I said a few weeks ago. James Gorman will ostensibly make this decision.
Since Gorman comes from Morgan Stanley, where he worked for decades, he’s more familiar with their talent pool.


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Gorman famously kept two executives at his old company by paying them bonuses to stay.
Those individuals are current Morgan Stanley Co-Presidents Andy Saperstein and Dan Simkowitz.


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I wouldn’t be surprised if either of them wound up getting the Disney job simply because Gorman is more familiar with them.
Theme park fans should want D’Amaro, though. That’s the way to guarantee that the parks stay magical.


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Let’s remember that anything can happen, though.
Andrew Wilson seemed like a strong candidate only 90 days ago. Now, he’s EA’s Bob Chapek.
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