NEWS: Former Disney CEO Bob Iger Joins the Metaverse with NEW Genies Partnership

We may not always understand it, but it’s pretty interesting to learn about new technology — especially in Disney World! In the Walt Disney Company, we’ve noticed a shift in focus to a more digital, technology-centric future, but Disney isn’t the only company interested in progress.

We love learning about new technology!

You may remember that former Disney CEO Bob Iger recently left the Walt Disney Company, but his retirement didn’t last long. Recently, Iger shared an announcement that he is back in business — the Metaverse Business, to be exact!

Bob Iger tweeted out a message, stating “Thrilled to be joining the @genies Board of Directors to help @akashrnigam and company empower humans to create the ‘mobile apps of web3’: avatar ecosystems.” For the non-NFT experts out there, that tweet probably made no sense. And if you were wondering, no, this isn’t Disney Genie, this is a different Genie. 🧞‍♀️ We know, it’s confusing.

Thrilled to be joining the @genies Board of Directors to help @akashrnigam and company empower humans to create the “mobile apps of web3”: avatar ecosystems.

— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) March 14, 2022

Basically, Genies is a new company (founded in 2017) that offers “tools for making virtual characters, clothing, and accessories backed by nonfungible tokens,” according to the Wall Street Journal. This platform acts like an NFT store where people can buy and sell creations for digital avatars. For all you Sims players (remember that old game?!), this is sort of like creating a digital character you can personalize by purchasing exclusive add-on items.

Bob Iger ©New York Post

The Wall Street Journal explained that NFTs are starting to be considered part of the “next big wave of tech innovation” known as Web 3.0/Web3.

The Web 3.0 version of me…thanks to @genies. I’m learning a ton and looking forward to helping them fulfill their vision. pic.twitter.com/CxcPVaNL9b

— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) March 14, 2022

So how does Iger fit into this? According to the Wall Street Journal, Iger has a seat on Genies board after investing money into the business. Iger explained, “Imagine, you know, letting someone buy a Mickey Mouse avatar and customizing it in a way that not only would we never allow it before, but it was kind of hard to do in the physical world.”

©Disney | Obtained via Medium

This new position marks Iger’s first career since leaving Disney in November. We’ll be interested to see how this all plays out! In the meantime, stay tuned for more news, reviews, and more!

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