CEO for WDI?

[Nemo88]

I was reading Jim Hill's newest article about John Lassetter and he mentioned something that caught my attention:

"One wonders what else Iger hasn’t told Lasseter. Like … Is John aware that the Walt Disney Company has reportedly hired a New York-based headhunter in order to find a new CEO for WDI? I mean, given how buddy-buddy these two seemed in Anaheim last month, I’m going to assume that Bob has kept John in the loop on all this. But then again …"

a CEO for WDI? what does that mean? will WDI be spung off into its own company? or is Jim Hill just incorrect? your thoughts.

[ocnative1964]

cant a division have a CEO???

so many cheifs not enough indians...

[DL3000]

well WDI was itself its own company back in the day, the indepence was good for it if i remember correctly.

[Dodds]

Ya, maybe WDI is separating from the company and it will be contracted out to design the various rides instead. I am not sure, this is a bit strange.

[Nemo88]

Well just like AL Lutzs articles,Id take Jim Hills articles with huge grains of salt,hes not always correct.

[tcsnwhite]

Regardless, WDI desperately needs new leadership, and leader with a creative background and vision, and someone who lead a change in the culture at WDI. put an end, or at least a cap, on all the politics and garbage, and let people get back to work without always having to watch their back.

[Tron 2.0]

I'm sorry, but why would that bit of news be disturbing to Mr. Lasseter?

They're... looking for new leadership for the division? This is scary and frightening news?

--Mark

[Sir_Cliff]

Jim's just stirring the pot.

Whether this is happening or not, I find it highly unlikely that Iger would hire Lasseter over partly with the alure of being highly involved with WDI and then majorly alter the way in which the division functions without prior consultation. He's not Eisner, after all.

You would have to assume that WDI would have to be officially spun off into its own company (still owned by Disney) for it to have its own CEO, and this could be good as it will give the division both more autonomy and more responsibility.

[Tron 2.0]

An interesting note:

Jim Hill didn't actually tell us anything new in this article. He reprinted a speech that had been floating around for a month or so and then shoe-horned the information that Disney was on the look out for a new division head into the article. Not only that, but he shoe-horned in speculation. He has absolutely no idea what is going on inside the company nor relations with Mr. Lasseter. It's like those US Weekly articles that create controversy over whatever bit of information they can dreg up.

I never read Mr. Hill (a distinction I feel necessary to make so people don't automatically respond: If you hate him, why do you read him?!), but I clicked over to check out the article. I was dry heaving when he was pontificating about how he is an impartial observer.

It's all crap folks. All crap.

--Mark

[Sir_Cliff]

Yes, I just went and read it and would have to agree that it seems to be written on a very thin basis of fact with a great deal of speculation and intrigue liberally sprinkled through it. None of the insinuations seem to quite gel with everything else that's been going on, nor even with what he's describing in the article.

This doesn't mean that a CEO isn't being sought for WDI, just that it's probably not as exciting a development as the cloke and dagger scenario portrayed in the article.