“His company is in play and his job may be on the line, but Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Michael Eisner showed on Thursday that he can still crack a joke under pressure… Eisner reserved his best barb for Steve Jobs, the CEO of Pixar and also co-founder of Apple Computer Inc., whose Macintosh computers are a leading alternative to PCs running Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system,” Ben Berkowitz reports for Reuters.
“‘He created the computer, or at least Windows, or whatever he created, and did a good job,’ Eisner said to peals of laughter from analysts attending the company conference in Orlando, Florida. Eisner was addressing the collapse of talks between Disney and Pixar on extending their partnership, which has generated five smash hits including last year’s ‘Finding Nemo,'” Berkowitz reports. “Since those talks failed late last month, Eisner and Jobs have traded barbs, each blaming the other. ‘You’d be killing me today if you read the deal we offered them,’ he told the analysts.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Berkowitz may have thought it was a joke, but we’re not so sure Eisner trying to be funny; in fact, he was pretty much right on the money. Steve Jobs did have a large role in creating the personal computer and since Windows is basically a convoluted attempt at trying to simulate Mac OS Classic on X86 hardware, Jobs basically did help create Windows – by proxy at least.
This Disney/Pixar/Comcast story is the best show on TV this season. CNBC daytime ratings will be better than CBS primetime ratings by the time it’s all over.
funny, at least he does admit that what Apple did through Jobs was nothing but creative product and productions.
Why are stupid people allowed to reproduce?
I think Eisner meant to say that all of Steve’s creative effort was for naught. He created the first personal computer, and the first GUI, and blew it all because Apple is now so insignificant.
The gist of it is that he made five smash-hit movies, and now he’s blown it yet again.
I don’t think that Eisner was trying to be funny; I think that this quote shows just how little he knows about technology and how much he needs to go (whether on his own, or by being pushed).
Remember, this was the guy who misinterpreted “Rip, Mix, Burn” and recently signed an agreement to use Microsoft’s lousy lossy codec for distribution of Disney media.
I agree cat man/woman, it doesn’t really sound like he’s trying to be funny. I’d say he’s actually just stupid. But I’m also biased against him…
Eisner is not stupid. He’s a jerk, but he’s smart. More importantly, he’s got a pretty hardcore hardball machine working for him.
He has been in talks with Pixar for a while. He’s been negotiating with Steve. Do you think he would go to the negotiating table without knowing all about Steve? He probably knows what color underwear Steve prefers. And he knows how to hurt him on a personal level.
Media lock-down vs. the free flow of ideas, data, information – how this shakes out will have major social ramifications. Cabals of power are veyying to impose their DRM over our DRM. I pray Freeplay or better prevails!
Eisner won’t be laughing when Comcast buys Disney and fires his silly ass. Even Disney shareholders and Roy Disney want his butt out of office for mismanaging company funds.
http://www.forbes.com/home_europe/newswire/2004/02/12/rtr1258382.html
http://www.savedisney.com/
and the chances of that stupid remark hurting old Iron Steve are about zero.
Kenny:
Crap. Eisner obviously isn’t stupid, pretty much like Bush isn’t stupid, but let’s clear this up.
Firstly, Jobs and Lassiter were using Disney as a distribution channel for its films – NOT for anything Disney could offer creatively. Why? Because, Eisner has been so busy on his slash and burn tactic of cutting heads at Disney’s creative department to save his bottom line for one. And two, Eisner shut down the so-called ‘Secret Lab’ (its only in-house CGI studio) a few years back when its first attempt, Dinosaurs, bombed at the box office.
Eisner is a miserly bean-counter intent on putting out entertainment that is derivative, cheap, and easily digestible, such as Treasure Planet and That’s So Raven. The former bombed at the box office and the latter is cheap and nasty television.
In contrast, Pixar have produced Toy Story, Toy Story II, A Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo – all smash hits.
On the financial front, while this debacle was going on, Eisner as CEO managed to pay himself $737m over the last five years. And while his personal income grew, Disney’s five-year net income shrank an average of 3.1% year on year. Wow, that’s good business… ha!
Eisner IS stupid…. his legendary arrogance, prickly demeanor and autocratic management style had key creative talent scrambling for the nearest exit – usually before they were pushed.
Jobs and Lassiter do not need Disney, there will be distribution companies falling over themselves to handle Pixar’s output – a guaranteed money spinner.
Just so you know Eisner was influential in passing the opportunity to work with or have something to do with the LOTR movies, what an imbecil.
To dukemeiser…..God takes care of stupid people.
I thought Eisner called Steven Jobs a Sand Monkey, are something like that ?
I forgot to add one final comment at the end of my piece.
Eisner paid himself $737m, that’s $147.4 million PER YEAR – that is one hell of a salary, people! And he’d filled the board at Disney with his cronies so no one would complain… yes, as a CEO he stands out as one of the biggest pigs at the corporate trough – and that’s according to Forbes magazine – and I agree.
He was taking this rake off while Disney was being canned on the markets, producing flop after flop and firing crucial creative staff left and right. He’s no better than an assett stripper.
I say all this as someone who hates Disney with a passion – especially Walt Disney, the man – for the racist, anti-semite and McCarthyite stooge he was.
Yep, sack the parasite Eisner [with no golden handshake – he’s already bled the company dry], install either Jobs or Lassiter after the ComCast takeover – and get Pixar to run the creative department. Now that’d be a decent company…
Yep, Eisner is soooo “smart” he and his “pretty hardcore hardball machine” is soooo “smart” too! They may know Steve’s underwear color, but do they know how to keep him at the negotiating table? And if you know so much about Eisner, did you know that he wasn’t directly involved in the negotiations? His underling, whatshisname, Richard Cook, or something, was directly involved.
And, Eisner is such a techhead he knew what “Rip, Mix, Burn” meant, right? Wrong. Eisner is soooo “smart”, he confused Steve with Al Gore, who everyone knows invented the personal computer and Windows in addition to the internet, who is now a board member of Apple. And, Eisner is sooooo “smart” he dissed Nemo before it was released, and said its dissappointing results would improve Disney’s negotiating leverage with Pixar. Of course, history proved him wrong. BUT, he’s soooo “smart”, because he’s paid himself a platinum parachute even though he hasn’t yet left!
For the innocent, that was SARCASM!
I’m having trouble figuring out what it is exactly that Disney DOES produce these days. They got rid of their only in house CGI-animation studio. They recently closed their primary hand-drawn animation team based in Florida (the team that produced “Mulan” “Brother Bear” & “Lilo & Stitch”, and that particular creative team has started their own animation studio as well. Between this and the Pixar debacle, they’ve done nothing but turn their primary animation successes into direct competitors and hamstringed their own ability to compete in the process. Other than crap television and crap film production, both of which are half-hearted and pedestrian at best, Disney isn’t really producing anything. When you try to run a creative company like an accounting firm, this is what you get. I’m just surprised that Eisner has lasted as long as he has. He’s given Disney stockholders no compelling reason at all to keep him in the CEO slot and succeeded in gutting all the successes that Disney has had in the last ten years from the company waist-band for who knows what reason. I hope Roy can get his foot firmly and squarely lodged directly up Eisner’s ass as he boots him out the door. The guy deserves it, and cheap shots at businessmen who don’t want to get screwed, blue’d and tattooed the Michael Eisner way show how small minded he really is. Pixar will have a distribution deal together with a big player like New Line and a film on the market before Eisner even figures out how the hell he’s going to produce a new animated feature at all. His old Florida animation crew will have full financial backing and a project announced and underway while he’s still trying to figure out how to replace them. And both Pixar and the Florida ex-Disney gang will produce innovative, entertaining products that will far outsell the tripe that Disney will be releasing to the public.
It’s really sad to see Disney in the state it’s in. They used to mean something to kids, and they’ve been reduced to nothing but a mediocre, crap-dispensing marketing machine only interested in squeezing as much cash-o-la as they can out of weary parents instead of creating the iconic characters, features and experiences that stay with someone for a lifetime that Disney was founded on. What a shame.
Charlie: Interesting response. So, because Eisner is a greedy pig who has sucked Disney dry…you think he doesn’t know Steve’s history. And doesn’t know that Steve didn’t invent Windows.
So, you think he just made a “mistake” with that comment, is that it? That must be it, otherwise my little remark wouldn’t have set you off like that.
For the record, I agree with your assessment of Eisner. I just don’t know how you’ve “cleared this up”.
Disney produces films through MirMax. Save the last Dance, the Crying Game. Great family films.
Eisner has ruined the Disney name.
Easy Steve …eeasy
All I know is, if I were Bill Gates, I wouldn’t find it funny.
Not as funny as my geeky, squeaky voice anyway.
It will be interesting to see if Jobs gets to be the king maker (or king killer, depending on how you look at it). He could offer to strike a deal with Disney if they were part of ComCast that could look good to Disney stockholders and the board … booting Eisner could be part of the package.
He could also push for Pixlet, Quicktime and other Apple technologies on Comcast, which is heavily in bed with MS.
Maybe Steve is already in bed with Comcast. Not renewing the contract with Disney certainly makes it more vulnerable to a takeover.
It would be interesting if Comcast did take Disney and give Steve a good contract, Pixlet, Quicktime, and all. Might be a good opening for a set-top CE item.
An Apple-branded Digital Video Recorder (DVR) like Tivo has always seemed improbable. I must admit, though, that if Apple and Comcast become buddies, it would seem more likely. Comcast could offer a huge distribution network for such a device.
I have DirecTV, so I haven’t had cable for many years. Do they still provide the box for free? Since going digital, they probably charge something like $5/month, or you can buy it outright. What if they offered an “upgrade” to a better cable box with more capabilities? It might be in Apple’s interest to offer something cheap just to get into millions of homes. Assuming a 3-year lifespan, $15/month would buy a $500 box. Apple could do a lot with that.
iTunes and Tivo have similar functions. The software portion of DVR would be more complex, but they wouldn’t be starting from scratch.
A DVR with an attached iPod dock would probably sell some iPods. Docking would allow your music to be played through your DVR.
An integrated cable modem could provide access to iTMS. Those without a computer would now have a way to obtain digital music and put it on an iPod, which they would be more likely to buy.
The modem connection could add other functions to the DVR, but Steve would want to keep it simple. Added complexity would decrease the recording reliability. Probably just iTMS and something linked to .Mac to give that a kick. Ability to view .Mac photo albums or movies. Perhaps receive e-greeting cards.
The only deal-breaker is the remote control. I can’t imagine one that Steve would be satisfied with. Otherwise, a deal like this would be good for all of Apple’s interests.
Kenny! It would be simple to make a remote control for that device… just make sure it only has one button!
(Sorry, I am a Mac guy and I STILL couldn’t resist)