Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek Talks His Time at Disney

Bob Chapek, former CEO of the Walt Disney Company, reflects on his 30-year career and the tumultuous final years of his leadership in his new book, *Behind the Castle Walls*. Rising from a working-class background in Indiana, Chapek characterizes his ascent to the CEO role as an unlikely achievement. He details the dysfunctional power dynamic with his predecessor, Bob Iger, describing how Iger’s continued influence and public reassertion of authority undermined his tenure. Chapek characterizes his departure as a "death by a thousand cuts," highlighting the board's inconsistent support and the lack of transparency surrounding his exit. He argues that Disney’s future success depends on moving away from centralized, singular control toward a more collaborative leadership model that prioritizes long-term growth engines over short-term quarterly pressures.