Disney Backed off Buying Twitter Because It’s “Too Controversial”

Walt Disney Co. is well known for not only Mickey Mouse and all the more "traditional" Disney things, the company is also known for its acquisitions. Under the guidance of CEO Robert Iger, the House of Mouse has made some major purchases over the years, including Marvel Entertainment in 2009, Lucasfilm in 2012, and 21st Century Fox earlier this year for a staggering $71.3 billion. However, there's one purchase that Disney considered but ultimately didn't follow through on -- the social media network, Twitter. It's something that Iger revealed in his recent autobiography but put a finer point on in a conversation with BBC 4, saying they stepped away from the purchase because it was "too controversial.

During an appearance on The Media Show, Iger revealed that he pulled the plug on the Twitter deal at the last minute, citing that he got "cold feet" because it was "too controversial."

"I thought there were responsibilities we would have to take on in running Twitter in terms of its position in the world and its effect on the world," Iger says. "While I was intrigued with what it might represent in terms of opportunity for us, I thought the responsibilities would burden us with things that would be potentially too distracting, too controversial, too challenging to manage."

The comments are similar to what Iger revealed to The New York Times back in September. In that interview, Iger said it was the extraordinary "nastiness" of the site that is associated with Twitter.

"The troubles were greater than I wanted to take on, greater than I thought it was responsible for us to take on," Iger said. "There were Disney brand issues, the whole impact of technology on society. The nastiness is extraordinary. I like looking at my Twitter newsfeed because I want to follow 15, 20 different subjects. Then you turn and look at your notifications and you're immediately saying, why am I doing this? Why do I endure this pain?"

The idea that Twitter isn't exactly a pleasant or positive place isn't new. Twitter has made headlines for its suspension of thousands of accounts as part of the platforms continued efforts to stop the spread of disinformation. Recently, it was announced that the site will ban political ads, a move that has left people wondering what, if anything, Facebook will do in response. For Iger, though, it sounds like the potential for Twitter to cause harm is what ultimately outweighed the potential for it to do good.

"Like a lot of these platforms, they have the ability to do a lot of good in our world," he said. "They also have an ability to do a lot of bad. I didn't want to take that on."

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.