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Netflix (NFLX+2.95%) co-CEO Ted Sarandos has no aspirations of leaving the streaming giant to take charge of the House of Mouse.
Sarandos said the thought is “not even on my mind, really” when asked about possibly replacing Disney’s (DIS+1.74%) outgoing CEO Bob Iger during a fireside chat with The Wall Street Journal (NWS+0.35%) on Tuesday, Deadline reported. “Honestly, I think what we are doing is so exciting.”
Disney is now expected to name a successor for Iger in early 2026 after initially being set for 2025.
The search for Iger’s replacement — who could be an internal or external pick — will be led by James Gorman, who Disney said Monday would succeed Mark Parker as the chair of its board of directors.
The internal front-runners to replace Iger as CEO include Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, Disney Experiences chairman Josh D’Amaro, and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
In August, Gorman was tasked with the difficult job of leading the search committee for Disney’s next CEO — a job that didn’t go so well the first time. Iger, who remained on Disney’s board after stepping down, had a contentious relationship with his successor, Bob Chapek, due to differences in leadership style.
Sarandos has been with Netflix for about 25 years. He was named co-CEO in 2020 and currently leads the company with co-CEO Greg Peters, who replaced Netflix founder Reed Hastings in 2023.
“The co-CEO model works uniquely well,” Sarandos told The Wall Street Journal. Peters is in charge of overseeing the company’s tech efforts, while Sarandos oversees its content development.
The streaming pioneer reported strong third-quarter earnings results last week and touted its progress with its growing ad business.