When Bob Iger became the CEO of The Walt Disney Company for the second time he did so with a clear intention to try and get the company out of its public political battles. However, the feud with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has only gotten worse, with multiple lawsuits between the theme park company and the state brewing. And now it seems that Iger is embroiled in another public battle, this time with Elon Musk.
Elon Musk is one of the most prominent public figures in the world, so when you get on his bad side, people know it. Iger has found himself in Musk’s crosshairs following a decision by Disney to cease doing business on Twitter, which has resulted in a variety of different responses by Musk. Here’s a complete rundown of the ongoing beef between Bob Iger and Elon Musk.
Disney Pulls Advertising From Twitter
On November 15, 2023, Elon Musk responded to a tweet that promoted an anti-semitic conspiracy theory, calling it the “actual truth.” In doing so Musk caused a firestorm of controversy. Multiple companies, including Comcast, and its subsidiary NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros. Discovery pulled their advertising from the platform in response, but the company that seemed to get noticed the most for the decision to pull advertising was The Walt Disney Company.
When asked about the decision to pull advertising from X (née Twitter) at the New York Times Dealbook Summit, on November 29, Iger said that he “had a lot of respect” for Elon, but that he felt Disney simply had no choice but to part ways with the platform. Iger said…
By him taking the position that he took in quite a public manner, we just felt that the association with that position, and with Elon Musk, and X was not necessarily a positive one for us and we decided we would pull our advertising.
Disney still uses Twitter as a promotional tool, but no longer advertises on it. A move like this might have been temporary, with Disney and other companies eventually returning to the platform if and when the heat died down, but in Disney's case that has become less likely based on what followed.
Musk Tosses an F-Bomb At Bob Iger
As coincidence would have it, Elon Musk was also being interviewed at the same New York Times Dealbook Summit. When asked about the decision of Bob Iger and others to stop advertising, Musk suggested the decision could kill the platform, but then also took a combative tone, calling out Iger specifically with some pretty harsh language, saying…
Go fuck yourself, is that clear? Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience. That’s how I feel, don’t advertise.
While Disney certainly wasn’t the only company to end its advertising relationship, Bob Iger has apparently become the figure head for all of it. As with the DeSantis battle, Disney is a massive company with global name recognition, which makes them an easy target in public. It certainly makes avoiding these battles, as Iger has said he wants to do, more difficult.
Elon Called For Bob Iger’s Removal As CEO
After the war of words between the two, things might have been expected to calm down, but that hasn’t been the case. About a week later, on December 7, Musk, on Twitter, called for Iger to be fired as the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, claiming that Walt Disney would not appreciate what Walt had done to his company…
He should be fired immediately. Walt Disney is turning in his grave over what Bob has done to his company.
The "What Would Walt Do" mantra is one of those things brought out by everybody who doesn't like what Disney does, from supporting marginalized groups to closing a theme park attraction. It's also technically impossible as Walt Disney was cremated.
While there is an attempt by activist investor Nelson Peltz to get himself on the Disney Board of Directors, claiming that the company needs to make drastic changes to become more profitable, there seems to be little dissatisfaction within Disney when it comes to Iger. Iger was the one the Board turned to when it was decided former CEO Bob Chapek wasn’t working out. As such, Iger's getting fired seems unlikely. He has a contract that keeps him on as CEO through the end of 2026.
Tesla Pulls Disney+ App From Vehicles
But wait, there’s more. In a move that is not officially connected to the Musk/Disney battle, but seems likely to be related due to the timing. Electrek reported on December 18, 2023, that Disney+ was informed by Tesla that it would remove the streaming service from its in-vehicle dashboard entertainment systems. Disney+ was reportedly told initially that the app would be removed entirely. A few days later Tesla said that Disney+ would only be removed in vehicles where the app had not been used.
The fact that this move was done now, and with reportedly no explanation as to why, certainly leaves the impression that it is an act of retribution against Iger made by Elon Musk’s other big company. Disney+ is the only app being removed like this. Netflix has been available in Teslas for years. Hulu, which Disney is in the process of buying outright from minor shareholder Comcast, is also in Tesla vehicles and is reportedly staying.
Musk Funds A Lawsuit Against Lucasfilm
As 2023 came to an end, it looked like whatever was going on between Elon Musk and The Walt Disney Company was ending as well. However, in February 2024, Gina Carrano, who had been fired from her role in Star Wars series The Mandalorian in 2021 after tweets that Lucasfilm called "abhorrent," filed a lawsuit against Lucasfilm, asking not only for financial damages but that she rehired by the show. Because the inciting incident took place on Twitter, Elon Musk is funding the lawsuit.
While we certainly can't say for sure that this lawsuit is related to other issues that Elon Musk has with Bob Iger, the fact that Lucasfilm's parent company is Disney certainly can't be overlooked.
What’s Next For Bob Iger And Elon Musk?
Overall this has been a very one-sided "feud." Beyond Bob Iger’s initial comments about the decision to pull advertising, he hasn’t said anything publicly about Elon Musk or the situation.
It seems unlikely he will volunteer any public comment, though he could get asked about it in a future interview. The most recent Disney Quarterly Earnings Call covered a lot of ground, but the Lucasfilm lawsuit never came up. The Tesla situation probably won't have a significant bottom-line impact, though it's probably annoying for some Disney+ subscribers who will lose easy access to the app in one place.
Beyond that, Elon Musk likes to challenge people to cage fights, so Bob Iger may want to be on the lookout for that.
