Disney CEO Bob Chapek Fired? The Growing Fan Campaign To Get Him Out
Since then, fans and Disney shareholders have not been too impressed with his role and have reached such a limit of frustration, that they have begun a campaign to get Bob Chapek fired.
This article is more than 2 years old
Everyone knows Disney, from its iconic characters like Mickey Mouse, its adventurous theme parks, and of course, all the classic Disney films that we grew up with. Disney fans are loyal and very devoted to the company, visiting the theme parks multiple times a year, or buying the yearly passes which definitely take a chunk out of someone’s savings account. Keeping fans happy is extremely important, because what would Disney be without all the support and love? Well, fans are the complete opposite of happy. In fact, they are rather upset and have started a campaign to the current CEO of Disney, Bob Chapek, fired.
So, what could be making loyal Disney fans so unhappy? And why are they directing their frustration and anger towards Bob Chapek? In 2020, the former Chief Executive Officer, Bob Iger, stepped down from the honorable role. This was when Chapek took over. Since then, fans and Disney shareholders have not been too impressed with his role and have reached such a limit of frustration, that they have begun a campaign to get Bob Chapek fired. Disney fans originally went to the best place to gather together: Reddit. On a Disney Reddit page, fans have gotten together to voice their issues with Chapek. One Reddit user posted on the site about the fact that Chapek is up for re-election in March and mentioned how important voting is. “…This is the most direct way to let Disney know if you are unhappy with his leadership, at least more so than complaining on Reddit or signing an online petition.”
There is an actual petition that fans can sign on Change.org. The petition goes into detail and lists some of the main reasons why Bob Chapek should be fired. “He consistently put himself and money above the product, and quality of the company,” the petition stated. There are currently almost 100,000 votes with a maximum amount of 150,000 allowed. The fact that there are that many signatures shows that fans are definitely ready for a change. The petition also stated that the state of Disney parks has gone down, but the prices have gone up. “And now he is moving the focus to Disney plus, the current big money maker, instead of keeping the parks at high quality.”
While Disney fans may want Bob Chapek fired, he’s making plans of his own. At the start of 2022, the CEO commented on ways that he was planning on improving Disney for all the supportive fans. Disney is actually nearing a very important and monumental date in its history. The company will soon be celebrating its 100th birthday. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chapek noted that he wanted to take 100th anniversary very seriously and to also take the fans very seriously, too. “We must evolve with our audience, not work against them. And so we will put them at the center of every decision we make.” It seems, however, the fans and audiences don’t feel that close connection with the current CEO.
Amongst the pandemic, Disney parks have faced lockdowns and many changes. But fans don’t feel like the CEO is putting their cares or concerns in any sort of priority. A campaign to get Bob Chapek fired shows that something isn’t sitting right with Disney fans and shareholders. It will be interesting to see what happens in March when voting commences, and also to see what effect the campaign has on future changes at Disney.
