Jobs to Fill a Seat at Disney?

[MacRumors]

The New York Post (http://www.nypost.com/business/12500.htm) reports on Hollywood speculation that Steve Jobs might be under consideration for a spot on Disney's board of directors... or more. Eisner, however, does not like Jobs, and Pixar and Disney are currently in negotiations for future movie production/distribution rights.

[the_mole1314]

Take it with a grain of salt guys. Right now it seems that Disney is in trouble, and Eisner is pissed. I like the idea of Jobs as CEO of Disney and merging Pixar with it, but the problem is that Disney already has good foundation with HP.

[MGnards]

as a disney employee, I think Jobs would make a great addition to the board-maybe turn things around a bit. Eisner is getting shut down left and right by the other board members-maybe it's time for him to retire...

[strider42]

Originally posted by the_mole1314
Take it with a grain of salt guys. Right now it seems that Disney is in trouble, and Eisner is pissed. I like the idea of Jobs as CEO of Disney and merging Pixar with it, but the problem is that Disney already has good foundation with HP.

I hope pixar never merges with anyone. The moment they get merged with the culture at disney will be the moment they decide they can get away with basically doing the same story over and over again like disney does. Pixar is doing fine, better than fine, as an independent studio, and merging with disney does nothing but help disney and hurt pixar.

I doubt you'll see jobs on the board either. I don't think disney would want to give pixar that kind of clout unless disney really did want to take them over.

[macMaestro]

Eisner's going to let the 'Shi'ite Muslim' join Disney's board?

Don't think so. :p

[Coca-Cola]

Looking at share prices, Pixar could buy Disney in an aggresive takeover. Might as well, Disney is a fat leech sucking on Pixars back side.

[the_mole1314]

Originally posted by Coca-Cola
Looking at share prices, Pixar could buy Disney in an aggresive takeover. Might as well, Disney is a fat leech sucking on Pixars back side.

That'll be like the mouse eating the lion. Even Apple can't buy Disney.

[macFanDave]

Walt Disney had a love of innovation and futuristic thinking. With that in mind, I'd argue that Steve Jobs is one of the ONLY candidates for CEO that would take Disney in the direction that Walt probably would have wanted.

Except I seriously doubt that today's Disney Corp. has anything to do with Walt's vision or ideals, they'll probably end up with Michael Capellas, bean-counter extraordinaire!

[displaced]

I was reading in the paper some interesting stuff about Disney's current predicament, particularly Roy Disney's recent resignation from the Company.

Here's a link to the article:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=469249

It mentions the current strained relationship between Disney and companies such as Pixar and Miramax.

I don't see why Jobs would end up on the board of Disney... Pixar's probably got studios queuing up to do their distribution... probably even Disney's nemesis, Dreamworks.

Disney are going through a well-deserved rough patch. They've been treating their audiences with contempt by releasing reheated crap and hoping it can pull in enough marketing $$$. But I hope they sort themselves out and recover that sense of specialness.

[Mr. Anderson]

Eisner and Jobs won't sit on the same board together. For Jobs to be on the board, Eisner would have to step down. I don't think he's going to do that either.

And Pixar should never merge with any company - they've got enough going that they don't need it.

D

[Mudbug]

ummm this came from the Post, right?
Can't we just discredit it on those grounds alone?

[actionslacks]

Originally posted by Coca-Cola
Looking at share prices, Pixar could buy Disney in an aggresive takeover. Might as well, Disney is a fat leech sucking on Pixars back side.


That's laughable. Although Pixar is enjoying success and Disney is going through a rough time, Disney is still a MUCH MUCH larger company with vast assets and holdings.

Steve Jobs may sit on Disney's board, but that has NOTHING to do with Pixar. Pixar only owes Disney 1 more film and then they can distribute with whomever they want. They are completely autonomous.

[Dont Hurt Me]

Originally posted by macFanDave
Walt Disney had a love of innovation and futuristic thinking. With that in mind, I'd argue that Steve Jobs is one of the ONLY candidates for CEO that would take Disney in the direction that Walt probably would have wanted.

Except I seriously doubt that today's Disney Corp. has anything to do with Walt's vision or ideals, they'll probably end up with Michael Capellas, bean-counter extraordinaire! lets hope not, no better way to kill off a company then to let a bean counter run it. Apple was almost done in by the bean counter:eek:

[mrsebastian]

this makes absolutely no sense?! why would jobs take on another position, unless he's bored with apple and pixar. uh, no.

[PeteyKohut]

Originally posted by macFanDave
Walt Disney had a love of innovation and futuristic thinking. With that in mind, I'd argue that Steve Jobs is one of the ONLY candidates for CEO that would take Disney in the direction that Walt probably would have wanted.

Except I seriously doubt that today's Disney Corp. has anything to do with Walt's vision or ideals, they'll probably end up with Michael Capellas, bean-counter extraordinaire!

I don't think I could have said it better myself....Steve Jobs is one of the most foward thinking people out there, but.....it will never happen, though I wish it would.

[ceriess]

Heads are rolling as the mouse is on a bloody chopping spree. Too much angst as Disney churns out dark seemy horror porn while Pixar is delivering high end animated "family" enterntainment. Of course they want Jobs on the board. Hell, they'd probably love to have Pixar just buy them out. Jobs is the new Walt. Visionary, hubristic, charismatic and most likely an owner of a cryogenic tank of his own.

[AirUncleP]

Originally posted by Macrumors
Eisner, however, does not like Jobs.

The only reason Eisner does not like Jobs is because Eisner doesn't like anything that might keep him from having another 15 million dollar a year paycheck.

[Splunge]

Ugh. There's more to stocks than just share price. Pixar has nowhere near the possible money to buy Disney.

Share price is simply the value of the company / number of shares of the company issued.

Take a look at the share price of Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa): $84,200 - Yes, eighty four thousand two hundred dollars for 1 share. Does that mean they're the best company in the world? No. You probably hadn't heard of them until now.

You need to look at the # of shares * share price to see how much the company is worth. This # is the "Market Capitalization" (market cap).

Co. Price Market Cap
----------------------------------------
Pixar $68.10 $3.76B
Disney $22.40 $44.37B

So pixar's share price is 3x disney's. The company isn't worth 1/10th of Disney though.

Microsoft's share price, incidentally, is ~ $25. That doesn't mean Pixar can buy them out either though.

[mcsjgs]

As has been said, Steve Jobs is probably the Walt Disney of our times, no doubt about it.

But I give the chance he'll get a seat on the board of Disney the same as the proverbial snowball's in Hades.

[macFanDave]

Originally posted by ceriess
Too much angst as Disney churns out dark seemy horror porn

I'm glad someone's with me. Wasn't the older sister in "Lilo and Stitch" hot-hot-hot!?

[Mr.Hey]

No!. I want all of SJ attention on Apple. I hate Disney anyways.

[legion]

Eisner's doing fine and he has the support of the shareholders. On top of that, he just got rid of his two enemies in the boardroom (so he's king of the world at the moment) Disney's in a forward position right now.

Disney would also never offer Jobs a position on the board. It'd be a case of too many chiefs (after all, how'd you get SJ to keep his arrogant mouth shut long enough to run a meeting; love him or hate him, his rep is pretty rock solid as such.) On top of that, Jobs isn't much of a business genius; ie, there are better business men out there. Jobs is a great creative director... but that's not where a board member places his/her influence.

[bbarnhart]

I think most of the creative credit for Pixar belongs to John Lasseter. After Jobs, left Apple, he bought Pixar from Lucas and learned how to run a company. Then he came back to Apple. However, Jobs was instrumental in getting the distribution deal with Disney.

Not that Jobs isn't a visionary and blah, blah, blah, but Lasseter is responsible for most of the creative stories for the movies. Jobs for the business side of things.

[MongoTheGeek]

Originally posted by macFanDave
I'm glad someone's with me. Wasn't the older sister in "Lilo and Stitch" hot-hot-hot!?
Tia Carrera. Even hotter in person. She has done some other movies (Waynes World, True Lies) and put out a couple of rock albums.

Disney has lost its way. It won't be taken over. Getting rid of Eisner would probably be a good thing. Getting Jobs on the board might be a good thing.

From what I understand seats on boards can be a very low inpact activity. Jobs would probably only have to fly to LA to pick up sacks of filthy lucre and maybe use the RDF at a couple of press conferences.

Picture the possibilities though. MacWorld Orlando...

[strider42]

Originally posted by bbarnhart
I think most of the creative credit for Pixar belongs to John Lasseter. After Jobs, left Apple, he bought Pixar from Lucas and learned how to run a company. Then he came back to Apple. However, Jobs was instrumental in getting the distribution deal with Disney.

Not that Jobs isn't a visionary and blah, blah, blah, but Lasseter is responsible for most of the creative stories for the movies. Jobs for the business side of things.

Jobs isn't responsible for just about anything creative in his life. Woz did all the work for him initially, then new people came in for the macintosh, yet more people are repsonsible for what apple puts out now. Jobs has input, but none of it is really his design or vision.

What he is though is an executive who allows those under him to do their best work, to be creative and try new things. That is what disney missing. Their management doesn't seem to want anything creative to come out, because its risky. Pixar and apple can't afford to be conservative. Thats why Jobs works so well for them, he lets them take risks.

[the_mole1314]

Anyone saying Disney is doing well now is joking themselves. They are in trouble.

[Gymnut]

I highly doubt Jobs would take on a position within Disney. As it is, he seems to have enough on his plate. Besides, it seems within Disney, there's too many chiefs and not enough indians as it is. Metaphorically speaking.

[sjk]

Originally posted by Splunge
Take a look at the share price of Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa): $84,200 - Yes, eighty four thousand two hundred dollars for 1 share.Impressive!!

[sjk]

Originally posted by MongoTheGeek
Tia Carrera.It's Tia Carrere.

[Gymnut]

Originally posted by sjk
Impressive!!

I remember following this company when I was a Junior in high school, some six years ago. Then, I remember it being $8000-$9000 a share.

[themacolyte]

Originally posted by strider42
Jobs isn't responsible for just about anything creative in his life. Jobs has input, but none of it is really his design or vision.

What he is though is an executive who allows those under him to do their best work, to be creative and try new things.

He is responsible for defining what 'creative' is within the walls of Apple. Liken it to a director who is given several hundred designs for one character in a movie (I'm thinking of Peter Jackson here). Ultimately, the team did the creation, but the director defined it, pushed it, asked for specific changes, etc. The products leaving Apple are the creations of hundreds, filtered through and approved by the narrowed goals and vision of a very few people, Jobs being chief among them.

If he chooses well, they have a hit, otherwise they tank (cube). He's done well over the past several years, much better than his predecessors who probably didn't act as much as a dictatorial creative driver and filter as he does.

And I think he does let Apple employees try new things, within the confines of his own control :)

Actually, that reminds me... I believe a promo video for the flat panel iMac (maybe a news article, it's been awhile now!) showed Ives explaining the iterative design process. Jobs made comments that influenced the floating LCD design (something along the idea of letting the form follow the function and letting the LCD be an LCD). If not for instances like that, just good enough would be the norm at Apple again. Jobs makes everyone push further.

[strider42]

Originally posted by themacolyte
He is responsible for defining what 'creative' is within the walls of Apple. Liken it to a director who is given several hundred designs for one character in a movie (I'm thinking of Peter Jackson here). Ultimately, the team did the creation, but the director defined it, pushed it, asked for specific changes, etc. The products leaving Apple are the creations of hundreds, filtered through and approved by the narrowed goals and vision of a very few people, Jobs being chief among them.

If he chooses well, they have a hit, otherwise they tank (cube). He's done well over the past several years, much better than his predecessors who probably didn't act as much as a dictatorial creative driver and filter as he does.

And I think he does let Apple employees try new things, within the confines of his own control :)

Actually, that reminds me... I believe a promo video for the flat panel iMac (maybe a news article, it's been awhile now!) showed Ives explaining the iterative design process. Jobs made comments that influenced the floating LCD design (something along the idea of letting the form follow the function and letting the LCD be an LCD). If not for instances like that, just good enough would be the norm at Apple again. Jobs makes everyone push further.

Well that was kind of my point. I was writing in response to a post that said pixar's creativity really had little to do with jobs. Same as at apple the actual creatiojn general has little to do with him, though it certainly is shaped and approved by him. His strength is as an executive that pushes for innovative design and not compromising because something might be risky, not a content creator per say.

[rt_brained]

All I can say is if Pixar and Disney merge and Steve moves all his people into Disney Studios, then I call first dibs on Pixar's old digs.

[legion]

Originally posted by the_mole1314
Anyone saying Disney is doing well now is joking themselves. They are in trouble.

Yeah, what was I thinking.. I must have been out of my mind. They're only about a dollar under their 52 week high and trading up.

LOL

http://chart.bigcharts.com/custom/cnnmoney-com/basic/big.chart?symb=DIS&compidx=aaaaa~0&time=1yr&freq=1dy&uf=0&style=1508&size=2&mocktick=1

Jobs at Apple: Creative Director. Guides vision and runs the company at his own whim.

Jobs at Pixar: Stands back and hopes he doesn't screw up John L.'s work. More of concerned investor than a hands-on job (and he's admitted as much in interviews)

2 different roles and if Jobs was at Disney he'd most certainly adopt the "Apple" role (after all, that's what board members are supposed to do.)

[legion]

try again...

[the_mole1314]

Originally posted by legion
Yeah, what was I thinking.. I must have been out of my mind. They're only about a dollar under their 52 week high and trading up.

LOL

http://chart.bigcharts.com/custom/cnnmoney-com/basic/big.chart?symb=DIS&compidx=aaaaa~0&time=1yr&freq=1dy&uf=0&style=1508&size=2&mocktick=1

Jobs at Apple: Creative Director. Guides vision and runs the company at his own whim.

Jobs at Pixar: Stands back and hopes he doesn't screw up John L.'s work. More of concerned investor than a hands-on job (and he's admitted as much in interviews)

2 different roles and if Jobs was at Disney he'd most certainly adopt the "Apple" role (after all, that's what board members are supposed to do.)

Did I ever say the STOCK was the problem? No you need to know what's going inside the company. Eisner is cutting back massively. Feature Animation is almost dead, the theme parks are being stripped down. Eisner even wants to outsource the running of the parks and hotels to outside vendors.

[legion]

Originally posted by the_mole1314
Did I ever say the STOCK was the problem? No you need to know what's going inside the company. Eisner is cutting back massively. Feature Animation is almost dead, the theme parks are being stripped down. Eisner even wants to outsource the running of the parks and hotels to outside vendors.

Let me help you at then...

For a PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY if the stock is UP then the company is doing well. It means both the company is financially well off and that the investors expect that trend to continue. That's it; that is the concept of a company doing well (its assets are being managed well.. if that entails killing Feature Animation and outsourcing the parks, so be it. You're running a company, not trying to keep joe schmo happy on the streets... the only people you care about are investors and lending institutions/credit ratings)

[leet1]

Originally posted by the_mole1314
Feature Animation is almost dead, the theme parks are being stripped down. Eisner even wants to outsource the running of the parks and hotels to outside vendors.


Actually, they just added a multimillion $$ ride. You sure they are stripping down the park? lol

[the_mole1314]

Originally posted by leet1
Actually, they just added a multimillion $$ ride. You sure they are stripping down the park? lol

Yeah, my sig. But what about the cheaply added Dino Rama or all of California Adventure or WD Studios Paris?

While the stock may be up now, people will stop comming due to lack of quality.

[johnnowak]

If Jobs works for Disney, then my PC friends will be right when they say macs are mickey mouse computers. :-(

[macFanDave]

Originally posted by strider42
Jobs isn't responsible for just about anything creative in his life. Woz did all the work for him initially, then new people came in for the macintosh, yet more people are repsonsible for what apple puts out now. Jobs has input, but none of it is really his design or vision.


I used to think that until I heard Woz speak. In the days that Apple's were being produced in a garage, Jobs was thinking things that came to be ten or more years later.

He's got some extraordinary talents -- I'm glad we've got him on our team!

[AhmedFaisal]

Originally posted by legion
Let me help you at then...

For a PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY if the stock is UP then the company is doing well. It means both the company is financially well off and that the investors expect that trend to continue. That's it; that is the concept of a company doing well (its assets are being managed well.. if that entails killing Feature Animation and outsourcing the parks, so be it. You're running a company, not trying to keep joe schmo happy on the streets... the only people you care about are investors and lending institutions/credit ratings)

Oh geez. The only thing it tells if anything that Eisner has a smart accountant on his team that is able to fix the book the public is going to see in a way that they look good. If you keep outsourcing stuff and selling stuff of course you can arrange the books in a way that they look good. Question is if that will be sufficient to keep the company afloat in the long term. I'd rather see the internal books before I call that company financially healthy. Second, I'd have though that after the DotCom Blowup everybody learned the lesson that the stock market tells you JACK about the actual situation of the company. It just means that the amount of lemmings and idiots that cry BUY BUY is larger than the amount of lemmings and idiots that cry SELL SELL.
Cheers,

Ahmed

[AhmedFaisal]

Originally posted by AhmedFaisal
Oh geez. The only thing it tells if anything that Eisner has a smart accountant on his team that is able to fix the book the public is going to see in a way that they look good. If you keep outsourcing stuff and selling stuff of course you can arrange the books in a way that they look good. Question is if that will be sufficient to keep the company afloat in the long term. I'd rather see the internal books before I call that company financially healthy. Second, I'd have though that after the DotCom Blowup everybody learned the lesson that the stock market tells you JACK about the actual situation of the company. It just means that the amount of lemmings and idiots that cry BUY BUY is larger than the amount of lemmings and idiots that cry SELL SELL.

And you don't even have to take the DotComs. Enron anyone? Worldcom? Xerox? The list is ENDLESS. Or how about Chrysler. It was such a HOT buy when Mercedes decided to buy the company. Turned out when they had it it was a hollow shell, all the good people were long gone before the merger even took place and the finances and costs were a complete mess. So much about the stock price telling you ANYTHING about the value and the situation of a company.
Cheers,

Ahmed

[mgescuro]

let's look at it this way.

Let Roy Disney join Pixar as Pres. of Feature Animation.
You wanna prove that there is a real "brain-drain" going on at Walt Disney Co? THAT'S what should happen.

Eisner doesn't like Jobs because Jobs has proven to be a tougher negotiator than Eisner ever expected. THAT... and Pixar has more than proven their worth to Disney and can write their own ticket now... with or without Disney.

[yamabushi]

The current management at Disney is exceptionally bad.

[humantech]

Hey all-
Just wanted to mention that the definition of creativity doesnt have to have ANYTHING to do film, pictures, music or anything like that- Its having a vision, taking the proper steps to realize it, and keeping the compromise at a minimum- I think that qualifies Mr. Jobs. Steve is a crative thinker and has the guts to accomplish it. Much like the great creative strengths in all the media industries...somehow, the bastid's even figured out how to get rich from it while still alive too......:-)
My 2 cents

[Counterfit]

Originally posted by legion
Eisner's doing fine and he has the support of the shareholders. On top of that, he just got rid of his two enemies in the boardroom (so he's king of the world at the moment) Disney's in a forward position right now. Did you read Roy Disney's letter of resignation?