Rumor: Is Apple buying Disney?

The long-running history of Apple wanting to buy Disney rumor

Rumors of Apple wanting to buy Disney have persisted since 2006 when Disney purchased Pixar Animation Studios. In November, these rumors gained traction again when Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned on a call with investors that they are "always looking to buy companies." Although Apple has traditionally acquired a lot of smaller companies, he did state that they "don't discount anything big if the opportunity presents itself," adding that Apple "would not rule out acquiring a large company" especially with the main driving being to secure "strong intellectual property and big names."

Hm, Disney kind of fits the bill right? There is, perhaps, no other media company with as strong of a portfolio as Disney, owners of Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar and more.

A week after Cook's comments, Disney CEO Bob Iger said that talk of Apple buying The Walt Disney Company is "nothing more tan speculation."

That said, even Iger has previously admitted that he once thought there'd be a time when Apple and Disney could have merged. In his 2019 autobiography, "The Ride of Lifetime," Iger stated that if his close friend Steve Jobs, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Apple prior to his 2011 deather, were still alive, Disney and Apple would have combined, or at least very seriously discussed it.