It’s a well-worn cliché that no company these days is what it seems—a bank, media company, or consulting firm, for instance. Instead, they all seem to be self-proclaimed “tech companies”—that happen to offer banking, content, or advice. But in 2014, when Fortune’s Michal Lev-Ram profiled Disney CEO Bob Iger, the techy transformation of the iconic American animation house and theme park behemoth was startling.
“Iger helped Disney get a headstart on those trends by making big and early bets on new technologies, even some that were seemingly at odds with the company’s business model,” Lev-Ram wrote, citing the company’s investment in releasing TV shows on iTunes, RFID-enabled wristbands at Disney World, and movies being shot by drones. “Indeed, it’s hard to point to one major franchise at Disney that isn’t being shaped, or reshaped, by some inventive new technology.”
Iger, who announced this week that his second stint as Disney CEO will come to a close with the appointment of his successor, Josh D’Amaro, next month, comes across in the 2014 feature as unabashedly in love with technology. He was a close friend and collaborator of Apple’s Steve Jobs. And Lev-Ram first encounters Iger “standing over his office desk, eyes glued to a video streaming on his laptop. In his hand is a dormant iPad. Good Morning America is playing on a large TV screen across the room.” “I’m multitasking,” Iger tells her.
