Acquisition of The Walt Disney Company by Microsoft

The acquisition of The Walt Disney Company by Microsoft took place on February 14, 2023.

History
On August 1, 2021, CNBC reported Microsoft Corporation was negotiating a deal to acquire The Walt Disney Company. According to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the idea of purchasing Disney came in the wake of the success of their streaming service, Disney+, as well as their falling out with Apple, Inc (a situation detailed in former Disney CEO Bob Iger's book The Ride of a Lifetime) and the COVID-19 pandemic that had started in 2020.

The deal would also include film rights to key franchises from Disney, including Mickey Mouse, Star Wars, the Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar film libraries, and the 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) film library. Talks had stalled for the day without a deal being finalized, but it was reported on August 4 that the prospected deal had yet to be fully abandoned.

On August 20, while mentioning a rumor that the rumored negotiations between Microsoft and Disney were progressing at a rapid pace, Mike Fleming Jr. of Deadline Hollywood commented, "given how Disney made the Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Fox deals under the cone of silence, if this happens we'll probably only know it when it's announced. It is certainly being talked about today."

Rumors of a nearing deal continued one day later, with additional reports suggesting that Disney would be acquired in its entirety.

On September 1, Microsoft and Disney confirmed a $300 billion deal to merge the two companies, pending approval from the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division.