• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

I wrote that Boomers were choking America’s economy. Their responses to me were revealing

2

U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited

3

After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'

1

I wrote that Boomers were choking America’s economy. Their responses to me were revealing

2

U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited

3

After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'
NewslettersCEO Daily

Bob Iger gave an Oscar-worthy performance on Disney’s earnings call

By
Nicholas Gordon
Nicholas Gordon
and
Alan Murray
Alan Murray
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Nicholas Gordon
Nicholas Gordon
and
Alan Murray
Alan Murray
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 9, 2024, 1:04 AM ET
Disney announced a $1.5 billion investment into Fortnite-developer Epic Games on its earnings call.
Disney announced a $1.5 billion investment into Fortnite-developer Epic Games on its earnings call.Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty Images

Good morning.

I don’t often listen to earnings calls because they are usually a dull recitation of numbers that can be more easily digested in written form. But this week’s Disney call was an exception. I wish I had been there.

Recommended Video

CEO Bob Iger gave an Oscar-worthy performance. In the first two minutes of the call, before citing a single number, he announced: 

1. Disney has hired ex-Alabama coach Nick Saban—heart throb of millions of middle-aged Southern men—to be an ESPN commentator. Roll Tide.

2. The company is releasing in November a feature-length animated sequel to Moana—global symbol of the power of diversity. 

3. The company is investing in Epic Games, maker of Fortnite—the obsession of post-pubescent male children everywhere.

4. And Disney will be the exclusive streaming home of a new, extended version of the movie Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, celebrating a star who has proven herself to have unmatched appeal for girls—and a surprising number of guys—of all ages.

Anyone we missed there? Add to that the fact that Disney “leads the industry with 20 nominations headed into the Oscars”—which, by the way, will be broadcast on Disney’s ABC network. And, oh yes, the numbers were pretty good too: Operating income up 27%, adjusted earnings per share up 23%, streaming operating income up 86%, and a healthy $7.5 billion in cost savings for good measure. 

The performance pushed Disney’s stock price up more than 10% yesterday. The only person whose heart wasn’t touched was Nelson Peltz, the activist investor who is bidding to join Disney’s board. “It’s déjà vu all over again,” a spokesman for Peltz’s Trian Partners said. “We saw this movie last year and we didn’t like the ending.”

Sorry, Nelson. When it comes to telling stories, you can’t beat Disney—at least as long as Iger is at the helm.

More news below. 


Alan Murray
@alansmurray

alan.murray@fortune.com

TOP NEWS

How do you measure performance?

Almost three-quarters of business leaders feel they need new ways to measure employee performance, according a Deloitte survey published earlier this week. Workers now need skills that are harder to measure, like problem-solving and creativity. According to Deloitte, just 8% of business leaders think they’re doing “great things” in measuring productivity. Fortune

A $7 trillion chip project

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wants to raise as much as $7 trillion for new semiconductor manufacturing from investors like the government of the United Arab Emirates. Chip sales last year totaled $527 billion. Altman has complained that a shortage of chips is a bottleneck in AI development. The Wall Street Journal

AI battle lines

Google unveiled Gemini, the latest version of its AI platform, on Thursday. Google hopes to put Gemini in the hands of the 3.6 billion people who use Android, its mobile operating service. AI companies like Google and Microsoft are increasingly competing on pricing, distribution and business model—not on who has the most powerful AI model. Fortune

AROUND THE WATERCOOLER

VA Secretary: Returning to the office helps Veterans by Denis McDonough

Mozilla names new CEO as it pivots to data privacy by Diane Brady

Why Workday took more than a year and an unusual leadership model to transition in their new CEO by Azure Gilman

Boomers believe they don’t have enough money to retire. Signs point to them being, sadly, right by Chloe Berger

Budget airline Ryanair offered to snap up extra Boeing aircraft after Alaska Airlines blowout—but now it says it is concerned about the quality after all by Prarthana Prakash

Novo Nordisk’s CEO says he’s fielding calls from ‘scared’ junk food suppliers asking for advice over Ozempic surge by Ryan Hogg

This edition of CEO Daily was curated by Nicholas Gordon. 

This is the web version of CEO Daily, a newsletter of must-read insights from Fortune CEO Alan Murray. Sign up to get it delivered free to your inbox.

About the Authors
Nicholas Gordon
By Nicholas GordonAsia Editor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Nicholas Gordon is an Asia editor based in Hong Kong, where he helps to drive Fortune’s coverage of Asian business and economics news.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Alan Murray
By Alan Murray
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Newsletters

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Newsletters

Why Meta hired Dina Powell McCormick
NewslettersMPW Daily
Why Meta hired Dina Powell McCormick
By Ellie AustinMay 29, 2026
2 days ago
Astera Labs founders win the prestigious 2026 EY World Entrepreneur of the Year
NewslettersCEO Daily
Astera Labs founders win the prestigious 2026 EY World Entrepreneur of the Year
By Diane BradyMay 29, 2026
2 days ago
Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei speaking at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2023 in Park City, Utah. (Photo: Stuart Isett/Fortune)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Anthropic is a $900 billion company now
By Andrew NuscaMay 29, 2026
2 days ago
Jane Fraser defied the ‘glass cliff’ to engineer Citi’s long-awaited turnaround
NewslettersMPW Daily
Jane Fraser defied the ‘glass cliff’ to engineer Citi’s long-awaited turnaround
By Claire ZillmanMay 28, 2026
3 days ago
The CFOs steering Big Tech’s trillion-dollar AI bet
NewslettersCFO Daily
The CFOs steering Big Tech’s trillion-dollar AI bet
By Sheryl EstradaMay 28, 2026
3 days ago
Why some CEOs still choose Europe over the U.S.
NewslettersCEO Daily
Why some CEOs still choose Europe over the U.S.
By Diane BradyMay 28, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

I wrote that Boomers were choking America’s economy. Their responses to me were revealing
Personal Finance
I wrote that Boomers were choking America’s economy. Their responses to me were revealing
By Nick LichtenbergMay 31, 2026
10 hours ago
U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited
Politics
U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited
By Jack Wittels and BloombergMay 30, 2026
1 day ago
After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'
Law
After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'
By Collin Binkley and The Associated PressMay 30, 2026
24 hours ago
After Blue Origin rocket explosion, NASA's entire moon exploration program depends on SpaceX for now as Musk eyes blockbuster IPO soon
Innovation
After Blue Origin rocket explosion, NASA's entire moon exploration program depends on SpaceX for now as Musk eyes blockbuster IPO soon
By Jason MaMay 30, 2026
1 day ago
Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt
Economy
Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt
By Shawn TullyMay 30, 2026
2 days ago
Ex–Google CEO Eric Schmidt warns U.S. tech workers: Competing with China’s grueling 12-hour workdays means sacrificing work-life balance
Future of Work
Ex–Google CEO Eric Schmidt warns U.S. tech workers: Competing with China’s grueling 12-hour workdays means sacrificing work-life balance
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 30, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.