A new book about Steve Jobs reveals that Disney CEO Bob Iger was one of the first people to learn about Steve Jobs’ pancreatic cancer in 2006.
According to the upcoming biography, titled “Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader,” Jobs told Iger that his cancer had returned just 30 minutes before the $7.4 billion deal between Pixar and Disney went through on January 24, 2006. At that point, only Jobs’ wife and his doctors knew about the diagnosis. At that moment, Jobs told Iger:
“I’m telling you because I’m giving you a chance to back out of the deal.”
It was Iger’s responsibility to tell the other stakeholders about Jobs’ health because of the risks and potential impacts on the deal. However, Iger did not tell anyone about Jobs’ cancer except for Disney VP Alan Braverman. The deal between Disney and Pixar ended up going through.
The new biography about Steve Jobs, titled “Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader,” is set to be released on March 24.
[via Bloomberg Business]
