Before the Disney-Pixar deal, Steve Jobs “had 80 percent of his wealth tied-up in Pixar. That kind of holding is very difficult to sell on the open market. A $4 billion sell order? I don’t think so. Remember this is someone who less than two years ago had a form of pancreatic cancer that has only a 50 percent five-year survival rate. I’m not saying Jobs is going to die, but I AM saying that he is in a position where he has to think about these things and his financial position at Pixar was untenable for his family, and left him too exposed if Cars turns out to be a lemon,” Robert X. Cringely writes for PBS.
“So the sale to Disney gives Jobs a smaller piece of a bigger pie and therefore much easier liquidity. But it also gives him the chance to nag Disney into the 21st century, as I am sure he will. Strong minority shareholders tend to clash with management (look at Ross Perot with General Motors and Ted Turner with Time-Warner), and Jobs will do the same with Disney. He’ll push to end Disney’s partnership with Microsoft, to bring Disney into the Apple-Intel alliance, and potentially try for some partnership with Sony, too. It’s the start of a grand amalgamation based around a combination of content, technology, and networking, and I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see it end as a single huge company five years from now with Jobs at the helm,” Cringely writes. “Just as Gil Amelio should have at Apple, Robert Iger from Disney had better be looking over his shoulder.”
Full article here.
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Once again, Cringely is missing the point. Bob Iger has done this deal to get Jobs on the Board as an ally. Iger has inherited a company where all the other Board members and senior management come from the Eisner era. He needs a strong personality by his side to act as a counterbalance, and it had to be someone who the instutional shareholders see as a corporate revolutionary.
Enter Steve Jobs.
“Remember this is someone who less than two years ago had a form of pancreatic cancer that has only a 50 percent five-year survival rate.”
Didn’t Steve get the rare form of cancer that is treatable? Yes.
Does Cringely know what he’s talking about? Answer unknown, try again later.
And they shall call this grand marriage, Aptelony Dixar! Just rolls of the tongue, doesn’t it?
I made a huge mistake
Interesting if Steve can break the Disney-Microsoft practice apart. I don’t think that he will instead he may use it as an advantage to prevent Microsoft to not bring out an iPod competitor and keep Office for Mac in production beyond the 5 years.
Disney is one of Microsoft biggest customers and Steve my have Bill by the Balls.
” . . .and Steve may have Bill by the Balls.”
And thank you for that mental image! I think that’s going to help me stick to my diet.
Pixney, actually, is what I like.
“Pixney, actually, is what I like.”
Sounds too British. (just kidding across-the-pond brethren)
I hope not. I think all these corporate mergers are too much. It needs to stop.
First we start by closing all those tacky gift shops at Disneyland (which I am the exact same age as). No more selling cheesy drek. All gifts and souveniers have to be black or white. Hey, Mickey Mouse is black!
Second of all, Disney is a big Apple shop already. They use Filemaker Pro, not Access, for their databses. Have been for years!
And when they merge with Apple, Sun and Google, it will be called…
…JobsRUs…
Dixar?
i expect to see more special release ipods like the “fantasia ipod nano” or marimax special edition.
“Dixar?”
Dicks are what?
I hope they make a pirates of silicon valley number 2. I would watch that.. Maybe 2 more years when they sell there 100 million ipod.
Sony. Word is, Sony-Disney(Pixar)-Apple would be a dream combination of technology and content.
Put Steve at the helm, and more folks will agree!
Maybe we’ll see Disney themed iPod sleeves? Selling iPods at all Disney stores and them parks? Apple store on Disney cruise ships?
I agree that Iger knew what he was doing — he was building his base of support to transform the company. He must realize he needs SJ far more than SJ needs Iger.
Steve could walk away today and Im sure his family would be just fine. To say he needed to do this to support his family is beyond ludicrous.
This guy is an idiot. He couldn’t find a couch in a living room with a map.
I have been mulling the possibility of Disney and AOL/Time-Warner merging together — the amount of content that would be available to the Apple iTunes store would be HUGE.
NOW, consider a lash-up between the merged Disney-Pixar-AOL/Time-Warner and Sony — talk about CONTENT — WHOO BUDDY !!!
Makes my stipples NIFF thinking about it !
Niffy
This does give Steve liquidity. Though, I doubt CARS will be a GM-car, and crash.
I don’t see Steve pulling an Amelio here. What happened to Cringely’s prediction that Intel was going to buy Apple?
How about a “1984” ride at Disney?
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Cars, a lemon? LOL
I’ll be there with my kids in the first week, I’m sure.
Dave H (first post) I think you are bang on…