The Ride of a Lifetime

In The Ride of a Lifetime, Robert Iger recounts his 45-year career at ABC and Disney, including his 15-year tenure as Disney’s CEO. The book opens with his 2017 decision to acquire most of 21st Century Fox, then moves chronologically through his rise from a studio page at ABC in 1974 to leading Disney’s acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm. Iger organizes much of the book around ten “leadership lessons” he draws from specific episodes rather than abstract theory. These include prioritizing optimism, courage, and focus; being “decent” to people; taking risks and embracing failure; and telling the truth rather than softening bad news. A recurring idea is that a leader must be “the person who is not paralyzed by fear” and must project calm during crises. Specific episodes anchor the lessons: the 1995 Capital Cities/ABC merger with Disney under Michael Eisner; Iger’s strained early relationship with Steve Jobs and the 2006 Pixar deal, which made Jobs Disney’s largest shareholder; the 2009 Marvel acquisition after Ike Perlmutter’s resistance; the 2012 Lucasfilm purchase from George Lucas; and the launch of Disney+ in 2019. He also describes internal debates over ESPN’s future as cable declined, and the “fox” negotiations with Rupert Murdoch. The memoir closes with Iger’s reflections on succession, his decision to delay retirement, and his view that a CEO’s final duty is to leave the company stronger. Rather than a how-to manual, it is a first-person narrative of deal-making, brand stewardship, and crisis management inside Disney.