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upstart writes:

Elon Musk Isn't the First: Disney 'Almost' Bought Twitter Until Bob Iger Noticed These Red Flags:

Back in 2016 when the board of the Walt Disney Company was convinced of the rationale for buying Twitter, meticulous examination showed that a "substantial portion—not a majority" of the users were not real, former CEO Bob Iger said at the 2022 Code Conference, Vox reported.

[...] Iger's initial interest in the platform stemmed from his belief that Twitter would be an ideal global distribution channel for Disney, serving as a social network where news, sports, and entertainment could be disseminated to consumers.

Iger reportedly stated that Disney, which is not a technology firm, thought it could benefit from a technology solution for getting its intellectual property in front of consumers. He said that at the time building a platform would have cost them $500 million and taken five years. He added that the world was changing quickly. So, money wasn't the issue, it was the time.

[...] Following the revelation regarding the bot accounts, Disney discounted the value heavily and the deal was "pretty cheap," Iger said. Additionally, the former executive was concerned about the hate speech on Twitter and the potential to do "as much as good," he said. "We're in the business of manufacturing fun at Disney—of doing nothing but good."

If you aren't a fan of Twitter now, imagine Twitter as a platform for getting the Disney intellectual property in front of you.

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