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Exasperated Disney CEO Says ‘Next Subject’ When Asked About Musk’s Criticism

LET’S MOVE ON

The Disney CEO would prefer not to talk about the billionaire’s views on wokeness.

Disney CEO Bob Iger stands with a microphone as he attends the opening event of Disney-Pixar Toy Story Land in Shanghai, China, in 2018.
Reuters/Aly Song

A day after winning his proxy battle against billionaire investor Nelson Peltz, Disney CEO Bob Iger swatted away questions about another corporate foe: Elon Musk. During an interview with CNBC, Iger was asked how he responds to criticism from Musk, a man with “such a big microphone” who has assailed Disney for its so-called “wokeness” and pledged to buy stock if Peltz won the proxy fight. “I ignore it. There’s no relevance to the Walt Disney Company or to me,” he said. When the interviewer began asking a follow-up, Iger interjected, “Next subject.” He did eventually elaborate, however, saying, “People have been coming after me and the company for years, and it’s just, I don’t get distracted by those things.” Iger added that complaints about wokeness are often vague and overused, and that Disney is more concerned about producing entertaining content than incorporating political messaging into its work. Still, he said, “where the Disney company can have a positive impact on the world, whether it’s, you know, fostering acceptance and understanding of... people of all different types, great.”

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