Disney CEO Bob Iger Decided Not to Buy Twitter Because It’s Nasty

"The nastiness is extraordinary."

Bob Iger
Bob Iger has reportedly returned to Disney to help guide the company through the coronavirus crisis.
Kimberly White/Getty Images

It seems like Disney owns just about everything. The company’s been on a massive shopping spree ever since CEO Bob Iger began his reign, acquiring high profile titles and companies including Pixar, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Marvel. But apparently there are some brands even Iger won’t touch, including Twitter.

The CEO explained his decision to steer clear of the controversial social media platform in a recent New York Times profile, telling Maureen Dowd that while he considered acquiring Twitter back in 2017, he ultimately decided the often hate-riddled Twitterverse wasn’t worth sullying Disney’s name.

“The troubles were greater than I wanted to take on, greater than I thought it was responsible for us to take on,” Iger told the Times. “There were Disney brand issues, the whole impact of technology on society,” he continued. “The nastiness is extraordinary.”

While Iger did acknowledge that the social media platform has its benefits, explaining, “I like looking at my Twitter newsfeed because I want to follow 15, 20 different subjects,” he added that opening the app usually leaves him asking many of the same questions it poses to the rest of us, namely, as he told Dowd, “Why am I doing this? Why do I endure this pain?”

Twitter and its CEO Jack Dorsey have faced increasing criticism in recent years for failing to address toxic behavior on the platform, which many claim has provided a breeding ground for hate speech and extremist groups.

“A lot of these platforms, they have the ability to do a lot of good in our world,” said Iger. “They also have an ability to do a lot of bad. I didn’t want to take that on.”

Iger made the comments regarding Twitter while speaking with the Times about his new memoir, The Ride of a Lifetime. The book, detailing Iger’s 18 years of travel and negotiation to open the $6 billion Shanghai Disneyland, is out today.

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