Ex-Disney Chief Bob Chapek Appointed To Board Of Medical Firm Masimo As Company Battles Apple

Bob Chapek, a nearly three-decade Disney veteran who was ousted in 2022 as the media company’s CEO, has been appointed to the board of directors of medical tech firm Masimo.

The move comes during a dramatic series of events involving Masimo and Apple. The tech giant has been in a patent dispute with the firm over a blood oxygen tool featured in the company’s latest line of smart watches. After the International Trade Commission ruled that the feature infringed on Masimo’s patent, Apple pulled the current edition of the watches off the market. Multiple media outlets reported Monday that the feature is being taken off of the watches in subsequent editions.

Chapek took over as CEO of Disney in February 2020, taking the baton from Bob Iger just as the world began to be upended by Covid. While he managed to steer the company through brutal challenges in the initial stages of the pandemic, he encountered friction in 2021 and 2022. Iger wound up replacing Chapek in November 2022.

Since the turmoil surrounding his exit from Disney, Chapek has kept a fairly low profile.

“I am thrilled to join the Masimo board,” the exec said in a press release. “I look forward to helping advance the company’s growth by leveraging their core technologies in the consumer and consumer health spaces.”

Joe Kiani, Chairman and CEO of Masimo, said, “We are honored to have Bob join the board. As we execute our hospital to home strategy, we expect to benefit greatly from Bob’s role on our board.”