Steve Jobs as CEO of Disney?

just like pixar, i guess disney will go mac. i wonder if i get a part-time job at disney i can get that 30% discount on new macs.

They sure got that one right. Disney thinks all it takes to make the release of an animation film successful is to go CGI. Steve Jobs understands that what you need is a good story. Whether the movie is computer generated or traditionally drawn is pretty much irrelevant. Disney has only been trying for the past years to tell stories that already existed or write dull ones. No wonder they cannot come up with anything good.

you factor in fact that he's already the CEO of TWO COMPANIES!

Why would Jobs waste his time with Disney when he has Apple and Pixar to run?

Who gives a shite about Disney?

Where will this leave Apple, as his pet project? No way will he allow that to happen. He had to be kicked out before.

What an idea! I can't believe this author has come up with such a brilliant, insightful, out-of-leftfield concept as this. I mean, its not like ANYONE else has ever thought or written about this concept!

Unfortunately for the author, he doesn't take all into consideration, he's just thinking Disney as the movie company. What about Disney the team-owner? The amusement parks? What about the Disney that owns the ABC and ESPN networks? Face it. Disney has some tough roads ahead, not the least of which is that the so-called coming change in television and radio will crush the value of half of Disney's assets (how much is ABC worth now, let alone when everyone has access to all choices in the on-line world?)

As testudo said, Steve Forbes is thinking of Disney purely as a movie company. Secondly, Steve has shown time and time again that he cares more about creativity, style, and {BONG!}* than what will sell in the marketplace. It's that kind of thinking that brought us Disney retellings of Hunchback and Pocahontas, which might have been fine to embellish and illustrate with music and animation, but not really a winner with the kids.

"NEW! from Walt Disney Pictures... Disney's '1984'!"

*{BONG!} is that sound you hear when you reach spiritual epiphany upon meditating such phrases as "what is the sound of one hand clapping" or reading an artist's rationale statement that turns flaming rat turds into art.

Yeah, instead of dumping Disney as a partner, the situation is reversed where Disney is the junior member! Yes! That'd work, uh huh. Yup.

Steve Forbes does come up with some interesting stuff, yes he does. First he tries to be a presidential candidate, now he wants Jobs to run Disney in his copious spare time.

I guess that could work, yeah. Here's how: on Jobs' first day, he sells off the parts of Disney which aren't related to movies. Sell off the amusement parks, the sports team(s), and the TV network. Just keep the copyrights and the media division.

Actually, that might be good for Disney anyway, to focus it, which is something Jobs knows pretty damn well.

whatever "it" is. Computers, Industrial Design, applications of media....And this is an amaazingly insightful idea.

Whatever you want to say about Eisner, the #1 problem with him is that he never.... ever ... EVER "got it" - "it" being what Disney is about.

He didn't understand the meaning of the parks - and has transformed them from uber-clean, idealistic parks taking you away from the world and transporting you to someplace magical into merchandising centers. California Adventure is the ultimate Titanic as far as amusment parks go - its ill concieved, absolutely vapid, and no one "gets" what its supposed to be.

He didn't "get" Disney animation - it used to be fansatstic adventures into other places that were unreal - not policitally correct 1.25 hour left-wing tree hugging indoctrination films.

Jobs would take each section of WDC and look at it, analyse it, put someone in charge of it and make happen what he sees in his head. And when he was thru, maybe he'd even have time to push ahead new ideas and make Disney, once more, innovative.

Honestly, I think he should ditch the Pixar gig - give it over to Lassiter - maybe just be a board member instead of CEO, or better yet - make Pixar "Disney Digital Animation Studio". If redone the way things used to be, Disney could be a force again.

for full disclosure, my dad has worked at Disney for 30+ years. I've seen him go from loving his job to hating his job over that time.. i'd love to see him like it at Disneyland again. he misses the days of Walt and right after walt... and no one likes Eisner, because he's such a tool who really would ditch the parks given his drothers.