Chapek ain’t here no more, Iger wasn’t playing that shyt
And Chapek had to be bullyed into making a statement by his employees
In recent days, Disney employees shared their outrage on social media when the company did not denounce the proposed legislation. On Wednesday, at Disney's annual meeting with shareholders, Disney CEO Bob Chapek acknowledged their anger, saying that he knows "many are upset that we didn't speak out against the bill."
Chapek explained that Disney leaders were opposed to the bill "from the outset, but we chose not to take a public position on it because we thought we could be more effective working behind-the-scenes, engaging directly with lawmakers — on both sides of the aisle."
Now, Chapek said the company is "reassessing our approach to advocacy — including political giving in Florida and beyond."
Chapek said that he called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Wednesday morning, "to express our disappointment and concern that if the legislation becomes law, it could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender kids and families." Chapek says DeSantis has agreed to meet with him and some of Disney's LGBTQ+ employees to hear their concerns.
"It seems like it's a day too late," says
Rick Munarriz, a senior analyst with the financial and investor advice company The Motley Fool. "I get why a company would not want to alienate some people, but it's also important to be on the right side of history," he tells NPR.