LOS ANGELES — Walt Disney Company Chief Executive Bob Iger will publish a second corporate memoir titled *One Last Time*, detailing the operational hurdles, succession friction, and restructuring choices that defined his dramatic return to the world's largest entertainment enterprise.
The upcoming book follows his 2019 bestseller, *The Ride of a Lifetime*, and focuses squarely on his second tenure leading Disney after the company's board ousted his handpicked successor, Bob Chapek, in late 2022. According to a Deadline.com dispatch, the volume will provide an inside account of the corporate rescue mission that pulled Iger out of retirement to steer Disney through unprecedented entertainment disruption.
The Unprecedented Executive Reversal
Iger originally stepped down as Disney chief executive in February 2020 after a 15-year tenure that reshaped Hollywood through the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox. He remained executive chairman through December 2021 before formally retiring.
His retirement lasted less than a year. In November 2022, Disney's board of directors abruptly dismissed Chapek following contentious clashes with creative talent, internal disputes over Florida educational legislation, and swelling losses in the company's direct-to-consumer streaming division. The board recalled Iger under an initial two-year agreement, which was later extended through 2026 to grant him sufficient runway to stabilize operations.
The forthcoming book, reported in trade coverage including an analysis by industry reporting in Vulture, will explore the personal misgivings and executive conflicts that accompanied this reappointment. The narrative directly confronts the friction between Iger and Chapek during the turbulent transition period.
Navigating Restructuring and Proxy Battles
Upon returning to the Burbank headquarters, Iger initiated sweeping changes across the conglomerate. He reorganized the company into three distinct divisions—Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Parks, Experiences and Products—while eliminating approximately 7,000 jobs to cut $7.5 billion in annual costs.
Simultaneously, Iger faced fierce external pressure from activist investors. Billionaire Nelson Peltz and his firm, Trian Fund Management, launched back-to-back proxy campaigns challenging Disney's capital allocation, succession planning, and digital television performance. Disney's board successfully defeated the proxy challenges after a costly shareholder campaign, solidifying investor support for Iger's operational turnaround.
The title *One Last Time* reflects both the finality of this second tour and the intense scrutiny surrounding his eventual departure. Additional industry coverage from WDW News Today confirms that the memoir captures the operational shifts across both Disney's media arms and its global theme park empire.
Succession Strategy and Corporate Legacy
The planned publication arrives as Disney confronts the single most critical governance task of Iger's final years: selecting a permanent successor. Having delayed his retirement four times during his original term, Iger faces sustained demands from institutional shareholders to ensure a disciplined transfer of power.
Disney's board has formed a dedicated succession planning committee, currently led by board chairman and former Morgan Stanley chief James Gorman. Internal candidates under public consideration include Disney Entertainment co-chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, Disney Experiences chairman Josh D'Amaro, and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
Publishing details, formal distribution dates, and imprint arrangements for *One Last Time* are expected to be announced through upcoming corporate releases and retail listings as the manuscript nears completion ahead of Iger's contracted 2026 retirement.
