Bob Chapek raised concerns with Disney's board weekly during his power struggle with Bob Iger. Weekly. That's fifty-two times a year. Chapek lasted less than three years, which means he filed somewhere between 100 and 150 formal complaints about the guy who eventually fired him.
The board listened to every single one and then brought Iger back anyway.
Imagine complaining about your boss to HR every week for three years. Now imagine your boss isn't even your boss yet, he's just the guy who used to have your job and won't leave the building. Now imagine HR fires you and gives him your office back. That's not a power battle. That's a hostage situation with catering.
Chapek's biggest achievement as CEO was proving that nobody at Disney actually wanted him to be CEO. He raised concerns weekly, which is corporate speak for "I sent passive-aggressive emails that got forwarded to a folder called Bob's Feelings." The board nodded along, cashed their checks, and waited for the stock price to tell them what to do.
Retail traders saw the leadership chaos and bought calls anyway because they heard Disney+ was doing great. Then they watched Chapek get replaced mid-quarter and convinced themselves it was bullish because "new leadership brings fresh energy." Fresh energy from a 71-year-old man who already ran the company for fifteen years. Revolutionary.
Chapek raised concerns weekly and got fired. Iger said nothing and got his job back. The lesson here is obvious: communication is for losers, and if you have to tell the board you're in charge, you're not.
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