Iger Says He Will Not Name Chapek in Candid Financial Times Profile

Overview

• The Financial Times profile published on Thursday, June 25, 2026, quotes Bob Iger saying he refuses to utter Bob Chapek’s name and instead calls him “my former successor.”
• Iger said the succession eroded after he stepped down in February 2020 but stayed at the company as Executive Chairman, a dual-power set-up that left Chapek with the title but reduced practical authority.
• The profile recounts a physical and symbolic clash over the Burbank CEO suite, including Iger keeping the main office and private bathroom while Chapek worked from a smaller office down the hall.
• After the board removed Chapek in November 2022, Iger returned as CEO and ordered deep cost cuts, thousands of layoffs, and large reductions in content spending to stabilize Disney’s finances.
• Iger also described near-miss expansion plans — including talks about buying Twitter, high-level discussions about Apple, and losing the James Bond franchise to Amazon — raising fresh questions about Disney’s strategy and culture under new CEO Josh D’Amaro.