‘Woke’ CEOs Living in Fear after Florida Pulled Disney’s Special Privileges, Report Reveals

Several “woke” corporations have been put on alert with their CEOs now living in fear after Florida lawmakers recently pulled Disney’s special privileges in the state, a new report has revealed.

Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis dealt a severe blow to Disney after the company’s leftist leadership opposed the state’s parental rights legislation.

The company pushed back against the legislation by smearing it with false claims, even going as far as to launch a campaign seeking to promote sex-change treatments for children, in direct conflict with the governor’s agenda.

In response, DeSantis declared that โ€œDisney is a guest in Floridaโ€ and signedย legislation to end the Reedy Creek Improvement District โ€” a 39-square-mile special governing and tax district that hosted Disney World while allowing Disney toย avoidย certain state taxes and regulations.

According toย The Wall Street Journal, CEOs are now asking how they can steer clear of the same outcome for their own firms.

โ€œThe No. 1 concern CEOs have is, โ€˜When should I speak out on public issues?โ€™โ€ former Medtronic CEO and current Harvard Business School senior fellow Bill George told the outlet.

โ€œAs one CEO said to me, โ€˜I want to speak out on social issues, but I donโ€™t want to get involved in politics.โ€™

“Which I said under my breath, โ€˜Thatโ€™s not possible.โ€™โ€

The Wall Street Journal noted that some executives may feel a sense of relief, as they can focus on maximizing shareholder returns while staying away from raging political debates.

TOP DEAL FROM PREMIUM GADGET STORE

Indeed, corporate governance lawyer David Berger told the outlet that lawmakers are growing in their willingness to take on business when it is advantageous for them.

โ€œIt used to be that Republicans especially โ€” but both parties โ€” liked big business,โ€ he explained.

โ€œAnd now what youโ€™re seeing is both parties like to use big business as political footballs one way or the other.โ€

Julie Schertell, the CEO of Georgia-based manufacturing company Neenah, said that โ€œprobably anybody sitting in a leadership roleโ€ is following the Disney situation โ€œto some degree.โ€

Slay the latest News for free!

We donโ€™t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

โ€œBecause I want folks to assume positive intent, like โ€˜Hereโ€™s what weโ€™re trying to do, and if it feels like a misstep, letโ€™s talk about that. And of course, correct on it,โ€™โ€ she said with respect to considering employeesโ€™ concerns.

Ron Williams โ€” the former chairman of Aetna who now sits on the boards of Boeing, Johnson & Johnson, and American Express โ€” explains that navigating politics is a โ€œchallenging jobโ€ for executives.

โ€œCompanies often deal in substance, and politicians often deal with foils,โ€ he said.

โ€œAnd so, you know, companies can inadvertently become a foil for different political issues.

“Itโ€™s not enough to know what you want to do.

“You have to be artful in how you do it.โ€

After crafting the firmโ€™s initial response to the parental rights legislation, Disney communications chief Geoff Morrellย leftย his job following the Florida debacle.

โ€œAfter three months in this new role, it has become clear to me that for a number of reasons it is not the right fit,โ€ Morrell said in a letter.

SHARE:
join telegram

READERS' POLL

Who is the best president?

By completing this poll, you gain access to our free newsletter. Unsubscribe at any time.

Our comment section is restricted to members of the Slay News community only.

To join, create a free account HERE.

If you are already a member, log in HERE.

Subscribe
Notify of

Recommended

1
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x