Two weeks ago, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced he was stepping down from Apple’s board of directors due to competition between Apple TV+ and Disney+. In a new interview with CNBC today, Iger touched more on his decision to step down from Apple’s board, his relationship with Steve Jobs, and more.
Iger initially detailed what ultimately drove him to become an Apple board member in the first place. He explained that Steve Jobs asked him to join the board before he died, but that because Jobs was on the Disney board at the time, Iger couldn’t be on the Apple board.
Regarding his decision to step down from Apple’s board, Iger explained that it was becoming clear that Apple and Disney were on conflicting paths rather than converging paths. While he noted that Apple TV+ is still a small business for Apple, it’s “meaningful” for Disney:
As for the current state of Apple, Iger said that he thinks Tim Cook has done a “great job” as CEO of the company, emphasizing that Apple is “one of the great companies in the world.”
Iger released a memoir yesterday, The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company. An excerpt last week described more details about Iger’s relationship with Jobs, as well as Apple’s relationship with Disney.
You can watch Iger’s interview on CNBC here.
