Barbarians at the Disney Gates

How will returning C.E.O. Bob Iger defang Dan Loeb, and possibly even Nelson Peltz, the activist behind the coups at GE and DuPont? Plus, Wall Street’s Zazlovian doubts. Here’s the inside conversation on a big week in big media.

Bob Iger, always a master of his own image, has seemed to misplay the moment—even if he’s right about the dire situation that Disney and the other AMPTP companies face. Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images

Matthew Belloni

William D. Cohan

November 25, 2022

Matthew Belloni: Happy Thanksgiving, Bill, and congrats on your new book, Power Failure, about the rise and fall of General Electric. Malcolm Gladwell just published a rave review, and he’s basically the Oprah of business books, so I assume it’s selling out on this Black Friday?

Bill Cohan: Thank you, Matt. It’s quite a story and would more than fill up a stocking this holiday season. Of course, what would really help the “selling” would be a kind word from Justin Bieber with his nearly 114 million Twitter followers. The book seems right up his alley.