Walt Disney

“Walt Disney realized many decades ago that animation was so expensive that you couldn't afford to animate 10 times more than what you need. Matter of fact, you don't want to animate even 10% more than what you need, and therefore the only conclusion you can co…”

“Disney's animators were at the forefront of applied technology. Every time some technological breakthrough occurred, Walt Disney incorporated it.”

“And at this time he's completely disengaged from the business that made him well-known, the one that he innovated in over and over again, this Disney studios. And he's spending all of his time doing something that seems silly, which is building toy trains.”

“Not only does he use people secretly working for him to slowly buy up all the property, but then they actually launch a very effective disinformation campaign. They leaked to the local papers that Disney is planning an amusement park in the San Fernando Valley…”

“The reason the deadline can't move is because they, it had to come live on July 17th and not a day later because the partnership agreement that he had with ABC was that the parks opening would also be in conjunction with the most ambitious live television broa…”

“Disney actually pays one of his employees to teach him. He learns and trains to be Walt Disney in his fifties, right? Is learning and training to be a machinist.”

“Disney's buildings would not be the work of architects. They would be the work of set designers. His studio people would have to do it.”

“Walt Disney had this, like, very clean-cut image, and in many cases, he thought it was somewhat of a contradiction, because, you know, he cursed. He smoked he chain-smoked cigarettes, and he drank, and so what's fascinating is before the show, they made this, …”

“He winds up selling his vacation home in Palm Springs. He borrows against his life insurance.”

“One of my favorite things that took me, like I was in the book, like number 10 before somebody smacked me in the face with this was that one of Steve jobs greatest talent was identifying markets full of second rate products. That's exactly what Walt Disney's d…”

“What Disney said at the end of his life, that he was most proud of two things, keeping control of his company because he famously lost control of his first company. So keeping control of his company and then Disneyland.”

“He thought he could build Disney there for a million and a half dollars. The final cost was seventeen million.”

“Disney was determined to keep it growing by what he called plussing his term for improving what was already there and making constant additions.”

“The reaction was unanimous. Disneyland would not work. All the proven moneymakers are conspicuously missing. There's no roller coasters. There's no Ferris wheel. There's no carny games.”

“He says, I do not want anyone hired who has anything to do with an amusement park. He optimized for talent. He wanted to train his own people.”

“There was a time where they were fighting over business. They didn't speak to each other for two years, which is wild.”

“The reason I say it's maybe the greatest product lunch of all time, because it's eight months of one of the highest rated television shows that functions when you watch them as a giant ad for Disneyland”

“Disney did not want any formal organizational chart. He actually says multiple times, I don't ever want to see an organizational chart.”

“ABC would invest a half a million dollars outright in the park. Then they have to purchase a weekly hour-long television program, and for that, think about it, Disney got paid to advertise his park. That's the way you think about it. They're paying him 50,000 …”

“Most amusement parks wanted all the street visibility they could get. Walt's entire park would be hidden from the outside world by landscaping. Walt was talking about customized rides, exhibits, and attractions instead of the standard off-the-shelf Ferris whee…”

“Eight hundred million visitors have flocked to the iconic park since then.”

“He said the only moat that he believed in was the superior quality of his product, right? He's like, I'm optimizing for quality and excellence above every other consideration. I am not optimizing for costs.”

“Buffett bought Disney stock after meeting Walt Disney in 1966. He paid 31 cents a share. And sold when the stock went to a 48 cents a share.”

“Don't give up future rights. Walt Disney, his, one of his heroes was Charlie Chapman. Charlie Chapman was one of the founders of United Artists. Disney had a deal with United Artists. Then when they went to re-sign, Disney refused to give United Artists the TV…”