The Disney acquisition of Steve Jobs' Pixar is one of the hottest business stories going at the moment, if only because of one question: How will Jobs, now a board member and the largest shareholder in Disney, influence the future of the Not-So-Enchanted Kingdom?
In this recent article for BusinessWeek, reporters Peter Burrows and Ronald Grover look at Jobs' accomplishments and management style at both Pixar and Apple to analyze how he might work with the Disney team. "If he can bring to Disney the same kind of industry-shaking, boundary-busting energy that has lifted Apple and Pixar sky-high, he could help the staid company become the leading laboratory for media convergence," the authors conclude.
But the merger has much potential risk. Just navigating the potential conflicts of interest between Disney and Apple, which recently became major partners (Disney content has become available for download on Apple iPods), will be tricky. And can Jobs, who is used to exercising total control, be an effective supporting player? Will Disney CEO Robert Iger come to view Jobs as a threat to his own power?
In the end, Burrows and Grover argue, Jobs can help Disney by expanding the ways in which Disney gets its products to consumers, possibly through more iPod-like deals and future Apple products. The alliance will also help Jobs by giving him more cachet within the entertainment establishment as Apple drives to become a more powerful force with consumers.
BusinessWeek's article is a good overview of the issues and personalities involved in one of the most potent mergers this decade.