By attempting to appease China’s Communist dictatorship, Bob Iger directly contradicted the history of the company’s founder. Walt Disney loudly and vocally opposed Communism.
On Thursday, the U.S. vice president (and, full disclosure, my former boss) weighed into the ongoing controversy sparked by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey’s criticism of Communist China’s dictatorship. In a speech on China policy, Vice President Mike Pence rightly pointed out that, in the aftermath of Morey’s tweet, “some of the NBA’s biggest players and owners, who routinely exercise their freedom to criticize this country, los[t] their voices when it [came] to the freedom and rights of other peoples.”
The list of people who suddenly lost their voice includes one other notable name: Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger. (Full disclosure: I have owned a small number of shares of Disney stock, given to me by my mother, for several decades.)
Iger—whom Oprah Winfrey has reportedly “begged” to run for president—has spoken out on numerous political issues, including the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris climate accords. Just last week Iger, who received $66 million in compensation from Disney last year, spoke out against wealth inequality and in favor of “a tax plan that makes sense that transfers more wealth from a small set of individuals to a larger set of individuals.” No word on why concerns over inequality didn’t compel Iger to renounce or give away his $66 million.
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