Bob Iger (밥 아이거), Disney's former chief executive officer, said he had reviewed the possibility of a merger between Apple and Disney but it did not lead to an agreement.

On June 23, IT outlet 9to5Mac reported that Iger told the Financial Times in a recent interview that there was once discussion of a plan for Apple and Disney to merge.

The remarks came as Iger looked back on his tenure after formally wrapping up his management schedule at Disney. The interview also covered Disney's mergers and acquisitions strategy and Iger's interest in technology companies, and the possibility of a combination with Apple was mentioned again in that context.

Iger has previously said in his memoir that he believes Apple and Disney would have been integrated if Steve Jobs were still alive. In the interview, he added that he wanted to get a deal done even after Jobs died, but Apple did not take it very seriously.

Speculation about a tie-up between Apple and Disney has long been repeatedly discussed in the industry. In the background is the relationship between Jobs and Disney. Jobs became Disney's largest shareholder through the Pixar-Disney deal and maintained a close relationship with Iger. A line in Iger's memoir that "if Steve Jobs were still alive, Apple and Disney would have been together" has drawn attention in that context.

A possible acquisition of X, formerly Twitter, which was reviewed but did not proceed, was also mentioned again. He said he backed off at the time because of concerns that acquiring Twitter could become a burden on the company. This shows that Disney considered a direction that would encompass technology platforms beyond being a content company. In that flow, the Apple merger idea can be read as the deal Iger most wanted to complete.

Still, the remarks alone make it difficult to conclude the two companies reached a specific negotiation stage. What has been confirmed is that there was dialogue between the two companies, that Iger showed willingness, but that Apple did not take it seriously. The meaning of the reference therefore lies less in the possibility of restarting an actual deal and more in showing that Disney once had even a mega-scale combination with a technology company in its sights.

The remarks are also drawing attention because they came as Iger organized his management legacy. As Disney's big acquisition strategy, its interest in technology companies, and the link to Apple that continued after Jobs are again confirmed, long-standing market speculation surrounding the two companies' past relationship is also being revisited.