Disney Boss Kevin Mayer: Brilliant Dealmaker or ‘Bully’? Both, Insiders Say

WAXWORD

The Disney+ boss and potential successor to Bob Iger is widely admired for his dealmaking prowess but he’s also feared internally for an unrelenting personal style

Disney sees big things for Kevin Mayer, the master strategist behind Disney’s bold acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox who is overseeing the imminent launch of its biggest gamble in years — the Disney+ streaming service that aims to challenge Netflix in the dominant medium for entertainment content.

But interviews with nearly a dozen former colleagues and subordinates suggest that Mayer’s unvarnished personal style has sparked concerns about his leadership and, as one ex-Disney executive put it, “a sense of dread” about the media giant’s future should he assume even more responsibility — especially as a possible successor to longtime CEO Bob Iger.

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Sharon Waxman

Sharon Waxman, is the founder, CEO and Editor in Chief of TheWrap. She is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author, and was a Hollywood correspondent for The New York Times. Twitter: @sharonwaxman