Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg and Jack Dorsey, CEO of both Twitter and digital payments firm Square, are leaving Walt Disney’s board, according to a recent regulatory filing.
“Given our evolving business and the businesses Ms. Sandberg and Mr. Dorsey are in, it has become increasingly difficult for them to avoid conflicts relating to board matters,” a Disney spokesperson said.
Sandberg and Dorsey’s departures from Disney’s board comes at a time when both Facebook and Twitter have been emphasizing video on their social networking and messaging services, territory in which Disney is a key player.
Twitter, for example, has been signing deals with the NFL and MLB, among other sports leagues, to livestream certain games. Meanwhile, Facebook has also been pushing video including debuting its Watch feature in August that is intended to stream original programming created by users and celebrities.
Disney, a giant in film and television, is increasingly pushing online. For example, Disney plans to create its own video streaming service in 2019 that is dedicated to Disney movies and television shows. It also intends to debut an ESPN Plus streaming service this year.
