Disney Shareholders Organize a Vote Against CEO Bob Chapek

Many Disney fans already know that the CEO who has taken up Disney leadership after CEO Bob Iger left, CEO Bob Chapek, has been getting a lot of negative feedback from Disney Guests. Now, many people have actually become Disney stockholders specifically as part of a planned vote against the reelection of CEO Bob Chapek at the Disney shareholders’ meeting on March 9!

There is already a petition on Change.org called “Fire Bob Chapek” that has gained serious traction, with over 95,000 signatures and counting, but the shareholders’ plan to vote against CEO Chapek in an organized movement during the Disney shareholders’ meeting tomorrow could be far more effective.

One user on Reddit, who was part of the discussion about the planned vote, noted that a similar effort against a Disney CEO had presumably helped lead to the departure of CEO Michael Eisner in the past. The user cited a New York Times article from back in 2004 when Eisner’s departure had occurred after he lost 43 percent of the shareholders’ support.

“It may seem insignificant, and will likely not be successful in removing [Chapek] directly, but recall that Michael Eisner lost 43% of the vote in 2004 after Roy E. Disney lead a campaign to oust him and he was removed shortly thereafter. We can do this again”, the Reddit user wrote.

Part of Disney Guests’ or Disney fans’ gripe with CEO Chapek lies in the higher prices that Disney has adopted in light of losses from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Expensive offerings for Guests like the new Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel have particularly rankled Guests, and CEO Bob Chapek’s high salary has only increased the negative perceptions of him. His high salary has also garnered him the nickname “Paycheck” on Reddit.

While some Disney fans are trying to oust Chapek from within Disney as shareholders, other Disney fans were hoping for previous CEO Bob Iger’s return. However, Iger recently confirmed that he had no intention of returning to a CEO position, for Disney or otherwise. Are you a Disney shareholder taking part in the vote tomorrow?