Thoughts…
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I guess we’ll see…
I think people sometimes put too much stock into changes that are made on websites as things are edited. For all we know there are just some minor changes happening and the name was removed inadvertently or is otherwise being edited.
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and the official reply…
Bob has a conflict in LA on Friday night and couldn’t make it back to Orlando on time. Your post is ridiculous and you’ve really stooped to a new low by making this up.
Jacquee Whaler
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In fairness, as I will not click for WDWNT, I googled Chapek and D23 and MANY other outlets were reporting it. Were they reporting based on WDWNT? IDK.
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Sometimes the clickbait is so funny I gotta peak… I am on my way driving down to D23 now so I couldn’t help it when popped up…
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I agree it can be hard to resist.
But WDWNT, I do agree with whoever created that response, is especially offensive in that regard
I missed that it was WDWNT before I clicked on it. That site is probably the least reliable site that I have visited.
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I agree.
But it’s been confirmed officially. This is Scott Gustin’s tweet with a quote from Disney.
https://twitter.com/ScottGustin/status/1461031412426059779?s=20
He may well have thought this was not that important an event. But he cannot win from this now, he’ll become a laughing stock on social media.
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Right, it’s confirmed he won’t attend.
But WDWNT posted with an assumption of the cause
Scott Gustin is a much more reliable source and is reporting it as related to a scheduling conflict
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I’m not sure why people assume these decisions are being made by one man. Putting all your blame on one person for organizational decisions is misguided and just allows them a fall guy when things don’t go well.
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There is that, too.
I don’t like to give ol Bobby an out but typically someone else is managing these kind of peoples’ schedules
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The trouble WDWNT faces in this case is that we don’t know who the “sources within the company” are. Let’s give the benefit of the doubt, for the moment, that this is true. (If you read the entire original article, NOTHING in it was untrue…so what stands out is the single sentenced citing "sources within the company.)
Who, exactly, are these sources? We don’t need names…but it would be worth mentioning “status”. I mean, were these sources just CMs? Were they low-level disgruntled employees? Were they higher ups? It makes a world of difference.
It is also possible Tim simply claimed there were sources when there weren’t. But, unlike what others have said, I’ve found WDWNT to be highly reliable a vast majority of the time, and they make it clear when there is speculation versus not.
The biggest thing here is that…it rings true to me, what the “sources inside the company” said. We already saw it at the 50th anniversary. Chapek, DESPITE BEING AVAILABLE, did not speak in person in front of crowds, but was pre-recorded earlier without actual controlled crowds. They seemed to be protecting him then. It doesn’t seem so far fetched that any “conflict” he has now was a CREATED conflict.
I won’t say I believe it fully. But I also am not so quick to dismiss it as possibly true.
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Oh, this is fun:
Since he has only been to WDW twice so you think his guide is unavailable?
Also, those links (so you want more?) are for anyone that thinks WDWNT made it up.
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Yes, those are just some of the other sites that came up on my google search reporting the same thing.
No doubt Chapek is an awful public speaker, I can’t fathom why he hasn’t taken speaking training by now as CEO of one of the largest corporations in the world. Just watch the 50th Special before enchantment was revealed, the comparison between him and Iger was night and day, hearing Iger talk was like Sinatra came out on stage after Chapek.
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I’m not saying it is the real reason. But it doesn’t now matter what the reason is. The story is out there, the sites are running with it and people are going to be laughing at Chapek for running scared.
It’s a decision that is going to backfire spectacularly. So much so I wouldn’t even be surprised if he makes an appearance after all in an attempt to stop the mayhem.
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Gotcha. And that’s for sure true. If it’s on the interwebs a certain segment of the population is going to believe it without hesitation and to them it will be the truth of it.
It is a shame that he won’t be there. It’s an important event and his not being there is terrible for optics
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There is a major difference in priorities when you compare the Disney fan base (the attendees at D23) and Chapek (the president reporting to a board).
Booing could be a low level response.
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This is a good point. It seems like not too many good reasons could be given or being convincing that would make their claim ring true, even if it is. Let’s say he simply wants to be there to watch his grandchild play Pilgrim number 4 in their elementary school program…is that going to be enough to skip out on D23 when you are already facing so much backlash from the public?
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