How Iger Intervened to Mediate a Power Struggle at Disney+

Last fall, Disney’s then-CEO Bob Iger sent a terse email to two of his top executives, Kevin Mayer and Peter Rice. Mayer, who then ran Disney’s video-streaming effort, had been feuding with Rice, who runs Disney’s television studios, over who had the power to pick the shows that would run on the company’s about-to-launch streaming service, Disney+.

The email gave Mayer a victory, at least for the moment. Iger stated that Mayer had the ultimate authority to greenlight the projects that came out of Rice’s division for Disney+. Meanwhile, Iger said, Mayer’s group could not force Rice’s studio to create a show. Iger’s angry tone implicitly warned both men to stop fighting and stay in their lanes, according to people who read the email. Word of the email spread among executives. What made it remarkable was that Iger was known to detest mediating disputes between his subordinates, preferring to let them sort things out.