King of Hollywood

Chapter 353 - 353 77 Turning the Tables

?Chapter 353: Chapter 77: Turning the Tables Chapter 353: Chapter 77: Turning the Tables Anywhere there is a government agency or the boardroom of a large corporation, struggles for power are inevitable. This is the best aphrodisiac, with no one wanting to miss out on its sweet taste. How could Disney be an exception?

Indeed, Michael Eisner was a strongman with formidable influence, and the Disney board of directors had nearly become his echo chamber. In fact, on another parallel timeline, he had monopolized power for nearly a decade; the board members were either his company confidants or his dependents. Eisner did almost whatever he pleased.

Although such a domineering figure would never have a good ending, and Eisner was eventually disgracefully ousted by the board, it was undeniable that he was still quite a legendary character. If he had succeeded in acquiring ABC, within another two or three years, the fate of the Disney board of directors as his echo chamber would have remained unescaped. Unfortunately, now there was Adrian.

Inside Disney, it was not a united front. Many people had reservations about the acquisition of ABC since ABC had been losing money for too long. It could potentially become a huge burden for Disney. Not everyone had the foresight, and after all, on another parallel timeline, ABC had indeed been losing money for over a decade before it started making a profit. Thus, Claude had no difficulty in making connections with those who wanted to replace Eisner, such as Geoffrey Craven.

Craven could be considered a fairly experienced director at Disney, having been on the board even before Eisner. Seeing Eisner gradually increase his power and drive his friends out of the board, he inevitably felt sympathy for the fallen. Moreover, having an emotional attachment to Disney’s animation and dissatisfied with Eisner’s strategy in that area, as well as opposing the ABC acquisition, he found common ground with Claude. The only question was whether the other party could offer the opportunity.

After Pixar’s “Toy Story” made a splash, internal discussions within Disney began to swirl. Most people knew that Cox, the head of the animation department, had repeatedly urged Eisner not to let go of Pixar, but Eisner didn’t take it to heart. Therefore, sensing the opportunity, Craven immediately began to challenge him with the people he had in touch with.

Regrettably, Eisner was still Eisner. Having sat in that position for seven or eight years, he had a certain level of control over Disney. Even with Adrian, the butterfly, without an intersection of paths, Eisner would undoubtedly have completely dominated Disney. So how could Craven have been his opponent?

After the meeting, Eisner immediately took decisive actions to reorganize internally, unhesitatingly asserting his authority. Craven was caught off guard, and the several people he had aligned with quickly fell apart under Eisner’s maneuvering: deserters deserted, resignations were handed in, and finally, he himself was driven out of the board.

For a time, the atmosphere inside Disney was one of panic and unease, permeated with a sense of insecurity. Many economic commentators also criticized Eisner’s resoluteness, believing that such actions did not help in stabilizing the situation.

“No matter what, Michael Eisner indeed made mistakes in decision-making, and Geoffrey Craven’s demands were not unreasonable. However, not only did Michael fail to give an appropriate response, but he also ousted him from the board, which, while solidifying his position, also brought about a significant negative impact,” said an article in the Wall Street Journal.

Therefore, Eisner immediately started non-stop to pacify the situation. Despite being in power for quite some time and having a strong style, his achievements were still there for all to see. Along with the help of his confidants, and by claiming to the outside world that this was just an ordinary adjustment, as well as assuring the animation department of unwavering support, the internal situation soon calmed down.

It seemed as though they hadn’t achieved the effect Adrian and his colleagues had anticipated. However, in many matters, even a momentary hesitation or confusion was enough to be overturned by the opposition.

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