The battle between Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is very far from over. This is a clash of titans, as Disney is the state government’s largest employer, which DeSantis can not overlook as he considers a presidential bid.
What Had Happened With Bob Chapek
The measure at the question is Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, sometimes known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. This act would prohibit teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom until fourth grade. Disney president Bob Chapek initially avoided the bill. It was chastised by his employees, and then openly attacked it once it passed the state legislature. Chapek expressed regret to LGBTQ colleagues, but his comments did little to calm the situation. Last week, several employees staged mini walkouts in preparation for a “full-day walkout” scheduled for Tuesday.
How many people are expected to attend? No one is aware. CNBC’s Julia Boorstin noted, “It’s uncertain whether it will generate a crowd among studio employees since only a fraction of staff has been coming in to work on the lot.”
However, the previous walkouts drew a lot of attention. Mike Schneider of The Associated Press said, “the act of protest will crescendo on Tuesday.”
The Decision Made By Chapek Backfired
The Insider quoted, “Bob Chapek made a decision at the start of the year, Disney was staying out of politics. The strategy was meant in part to help the entertainment giant avoid the culture clashes between executives and employees that have plagued many companies in recent years, said people familiar with his thinking. Instead, it backfired.”
Chapek’s treatment of the Florida issue offended both progressive and conservatism, who wanted Disney to remain out of the debate and now accuse it of caving to liberal agitators inside its ranks. Several current and former Disney executives regarded the next 11 months as a key moment for the CEO,” the WSJ team stated. Bob Chapek’s contract is up for renewal in February, so the next 11 months are a vital period for the CEO.
The Panorama From Florida
Steve Contorno, CNN’s specialist on all matters of Florida politics, has a new article out. It’s on how the Disney feud has strengthened DeSantis’s standing inside the GOP. Contorno said, “it has also revealed a deepening divide between the current generation of Senate republicans and the companies that have typically curry favor with the GOP.”
“Watching a Florida legislator go after Disney was not a world I imagined to be living in a couple of years ago,” said Christopher Miles. Christopher Miles is a Miami-based GOP adviser. Very much like Donald Trump, DeSantis has risen to prominence by defying conventional thinking.
Iger And Chapek Are At Conflict
Alex Sherman’s report for CNBC on Bob Chapek’s feud with his successor Bob Iger was the weekend’s most popular read among media insiders. It’s a schism that now “looms over Disney’s future,” according to the report.
Several Disney workers have phoned Iger “to voice their dissatisfaction with Chapek” in the aftermath of the Florida fiasco. According to Sherman, “While public scandals make news, Chapek’s internal adjustments, and how effective they are, will likely define his tenure as Disney’s CEO.”
One of the most significant changes in management is the promotion of Kareem Daniel. He is now in charge of profit and loss for Disney’s entertainment and media companies. Sherman noted that Daniel had “one of the most powerful jobs ever established in journalism. Daniel has not given any interviews since his promotion in October 2020.
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