Andrew
02-16-2004, 03:32 PM
M-I-C ... See Ya Real Soon? (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040223-591308-1,00.html) -- TIME, 02/16/04
Eisner, 61, took over a doddering Disney in 1984 and made it spout money. But since 1996, Disney has been sputtering. Eisner's outsize compensation, his somnolent board of directors and poor performances at ABC and Disney's theme parks and animation business have made him a target. Eisner's micromanaging style, imperious mien and inability to groom a successor — all perfectly acceptable when you're coining money — are now liabilities. Chief dissident Roy Disney, the founder's nephew, has called for his head, and Institutional Shareholders Services, an influential investor-advisory group, has recommended that its clients withhold their vote for Eisner at the company's annual shareholders' meeting next month.
Roberts, 44, keeps his ego in check and his checkbook handy. The trim, bespectacled executive is renowned as a shrewd bargain hunter and corporate strategist. "He's one of the most likable people, but whoever sits on the other side of the bargaining table should have a healthy dose of fear," says Terry McGuirk, vice chairman of Turner Broadcasting and a longtime friend. Roberts, an all-American squash player at the University of Pennsylvania, has a "black belt in strategy," says McGuirk.
Eisner, 61, took over a doddering Disney in 1984 and made it spout money. But since 1996, Disney has been sputtering. Eisner's outsize compensation, his somnolent board of directors and poor performances at ABC and Disney's theme parks and animation business have made him a target. Eisner's micromanaging style, imperious mien and inability to groom a successor — all perfectly acceptable when you're coining money — are now liabilities. Chief dissident Roy Disney, the founder's nephew, has called for his head, and Institutional Shareholders Services, an influential investor-advisory group, has recommended that its clients withhold their vote for Eisner at the company's annual shareholders' meeting next month.
Roberts, 44, keeps his ego in check and his checkbook handy. The trim, bespectacled executive is renowned as a shrewd bargain hunter and corporate strategist. "He's one of the most likable people, but whoever sits on the other side of the bargaining table should have a healthy dose of fear," says Terry McGuirk, vice chairman of Turner Broadcasting and a longtime friend. Roberts, an all-American squash player at the University of Pennsylvania, has a "black belt in strategy," says McGuirk.