Yesterday, it was reported that a petition calling for the firing of Disney CEO Bob Chapek was gaining steam after being shared by several former Disney Imagineers. The petition claimed that Chapek was making decisions that decreased the quality of in-Park experiences, as well as favoring reusing IPs instead of coming up with new and original ideas at the Parks. The petition also claimed that Chapek was putting making money over Disney products and the quality of The Walt Disney Company.
Now, the petition was started over one year ago, but in that time, it had only amassed several thousand signatures — including over 300 in the time it took to write and publish this article. However, after being shared by some with larger social media followings, the petition exploded and now has just over 40,000 signatures — receiving nearly 35,000 signatures in just 24 hours. Thousands of users are sharing the petition on social media and encouraging others to sign.
According to the Change.org petition:
In early 2020 he became the CEO of the Walt Disney Company which was extremely concerning. Bob Chapek has made an excessive amount of budget cuts, even with the Covid-19 pandemic being considered. Budget cuts began before the pandemic began, and increased. He recently reinstated full executive salaries at Disney, and also has laid off over 28,000 employees throughout the company. And now he is moving the focus to Disney plus, the current big money maker, instead of keeping the parks at high quality.
Normally you would think to keep the quality of the parks during a time of decreased revenue, but he is concerned about what will make him the most money quickest. Maintenance at the parks has also gotten its worst under Chapek, and is not getting better. Chapek has proven he doesn’t care about the quality and legacy of Disney.
Within the petition to fire Chapek is one that suggests Josh D’Amaro — the current Chairman of Disney Parks, Products, and Experiences — should take over as CEO of the massive company. Chapek had been in the position D’Amaro now occupies before he was promoted to CEO in February 2020 with former CEO Bob Iger taking the rank of Executive Chairman.
It is important to remember that just because the petition has amassed tens of thousands of signatures, that does not mean that Disney will be required to make any changes to its current leadership. However, if enough fans voice their concerns, Disney may perk up their ears and take note.
