Marketwatch reported Tuesday that Apple CEO Steve Jobs had made an appearance at Disney's annual shareholder meeting, which would have represented the first public appearance of Mr. Jobs since he went on a leave of absence from Apple for medical reasons. The media outlet subsequently corrected the story -- though Mr. Jobs was re-elected to Disney's board, he was not at the shareholder meeting.
ZDNet reported that one shareholder expressed concern over what would happen to Disney's stock should Mr. Jobs's 138 million shares of Disney hit the market at one time due as a result of his health issues. Disney President and CEO Bob Iger replied, "We have not thought at all about the contingency for whether Steve Jobs is not on our board. It's not something we worry about.'
For those keeping score at home, that makes two boards of directors of two companies where Mr. Jobs sits on said board(s) or is an executive that have said they are not worried about the effect of Mr. Jobs's health on their companies. While much has been made of Mr. Jobs's control over Apple, the same can not be said of Disney.
Mr. Jobs became a major shareholder in Disney in 2006 when that company purchased Pixar, the animation firm responsible for Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and other animated hits. Under Bon Iger's leadership, Disney has had a close relationship to Apple, working with the company in bringing TV and film to iTunes for the first time.