Bob Iger Calls Pixar Acquisition His "Proudest Decision"

As he was exiting 25 years of service with The Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger spoke about his accomplishments and what he could have done better during his tenure. One of his proudest moments, he said, was overseeing the acquisition of Pixar. Find out why Iger thinks that decision was a pivot point for Disney.

Bob Iger has had a long career in media and entertainment. He worked with ABC, making a name for himself as a senior program executive for the 1988 Winter Olympics. He actually arrived at Disney when Disney purchased ABC; he eventually moved up the ranks to become a Disney executive. He rose to COO and then CEO. As CEO, he made some major strategic decisions that would save what was a flailing Disney entertainment empire.

One of those was the acquisition of Pixar, which Disney bought in an all-stock transaction valued at $7.4 billion in 2006.

Iger says the Pixar acquisition started him and Disney off on the path he wanted to achieve. He was looking for ways to scale Disney's storytelling capabilities and expand its audience while staying true to the brand. To that end, Iger led Disney on a years-long path of acquiring other companies, though he said it was important to seek opportunities that would allow Disney to grow and adapt and not just acquire for the sake of getting bigger.

Disney acquired numerous other entertainment businesses under Iger's leadership, including powerhouses such as Marvel and Lucasfilm. Iger played an important role in these acquisitions, often having to work personally alongside founders and leaders like Steve Jobs or George Lucas to persuade them they wouldn't be disappointed in how Disney managed the stories and assets it acquired.

The acquisitions have, indeed, been a huge component of Disney's success in the last decade and a half. Perhaps Iger's claim to fame is that he brought Disney out of a Princess-only box into an entire world of family entertainment.