Iger’s Big Revelations
Bob Iger’s retirement interview with the Financial Times is packed with revelations about the deals that almost were during his time as Disney CEO, as reported by Variety. In the wide-ranging piece, Iger confirmed that Disney had discussions with Apple about a potential acquisition, that he once had Twitter in his sights, and that he had long wanted to add James Bond to Disney’s IP portfolio. None of those deals came to pass, and the reasons why are finally on the record.
Apple Passed On Disney
The most striking disclosure in the interview is Iger’s confirmation that he explored selling Disney to Apple. Iger described such a deal as something he viewed as “truly transformational and equal.” The conversations happened, but Apple simply wasn’t interested. “We talked about it internally, and we had some conversations with Apple about it, but it never went anywhere. Well, Apple didn’t show that much interest,” Iger said.
The idea of an Apple-Disney combination has floated around Wall Street for years, given the deep personal friendship between Iger and the late Steve Jobs, Disney’s acquisition of Pixar, and Jobs’ status as Disney’s largest individual shareholder at the time of his death. That Iger actually pursued it makes the “what if” even more tantalizing.
Disney Was Hours From Buying Twitter
Iger also confirmed what has long been rumored: Disney was on the verge of acquiring Twitter from co-founder Jack Dorsey “at a very attractive price” before he got cold feet the morning the deal would have closed, deciding it would be “a horrible distraction” to Disney’s core business. This is consistent with prior reporting that Disney came extremely close to buying the platform in 2016. Iger’s decision to walk away now looks prescient given the turbulent decade Twitter went on to have before Elon Musk acquired it for $44 billion.
The James Bond That Got Away
Iger also revealed that James Bond was on his acquisition wish list alongside Star Wars and Marvel. “We felt unstoppable. We put together a list of acquisition targets,” Iger said. “Marvel was one, Star Wars was another, James Bond was one. We had a list and I figured let’s just tick them off and buy them all.” Unlike those franchises, he was never able to make Bond happen. The franchise ultimately ended up with Amazon, which acquired MGM in 2022 and later paid more than $1 billion to take full creative control of the 007 series. We previously reported on Disney’s interest in the Bond franchise.
Iger Reflects On His Legacy
The Financial Times interview, conducted as Iger prepared to exit after his second tenure, paints a picture of a CEO who has no regrets about his acquisitions but remains acutely aware of an unfinished agenda. “Round two was much less fun,” he acknowledged, noting that he spent much of his return cleaning up the damage from the pandemic and the Bob Chapek era. Iger notably refused to mention Chapek by name throughout the entire interview, referring to him only as “my former successor.”
Iger officially stepped down as Disney CEO on March 18, 2026, handing the company over to Josh D’Amaro, now Disney’s CEO, though Iger remains on the board of directors through the end of 2026. D’Amaro was recently invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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Photo credit: Financial Times
