Before becoming CEO, Chapek had a 26-year career with The Walt Disney Company, beginning in the Home Entertainment division, and eventually rising to become Chairman of Parks & Resorts.

[13] Chapek began his Disney career in 1993 as the marketing director for the company's Buena Vista Home Entertainment division, which at that time was focused on VHS tapes.

Chapek is credited for bringing Disney's home entertainment division into the digital age, by focusing on releasing properties on DVD and later Blu-ray discs.

[20] In 2014, Chapek launched the Disney Imagicademy, which was a suite of numerous tablet and smart-phone apps designed to give children high quality learning games.

Chapek said he spearheaded this initiative after numerous parents told his department that they found it difficult to find high quality learning apps out of the thousands that were available online.

[23][24] Chapek immediately began working towards the completion and launch of Shanghai Disneyland in 2016, which hosted over 11 million guests in its first year of operation.

[27] Chapek also directly managed the construction and opening of the new Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

[28] Disney said of Galaxy's Edge, "It's the most immersive land we have ever built," citing the themed restaurants, shops and roaming interactive characters.

The New York Times noted that Chapek's spending was more money than Disney spent in acquiring Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm combined.

[30] In the fall of 2017, after Parks and Resorts recorded at 14% increase in operating income, many in the media began to speculate that Chapek would likely succeed Bob Iger as the next Disney CEO.

[38] In February 2020, Bob Iger named Chapek as his hand-picked successor for the role of chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Company.

[26] It was later revealed that while Chapek remained CEO, Iger said he intended to resume control of the company's operational duties for the time being, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[42][43] Chapek stated that upon the reopening of Walt Disney World in July 2020, both employees and guests would be required to take temperature checks, wear face masks, and observe social distancing guidelines.

[44][45] In October 2020, Chapek agreed to keep Disney World at only 25% capacity until the CDC issued new guidance, and also stated that with regards to reopening Disneyland in California, "It's not much of a negotiation.

[51][52] In 2022, as Florida passed its Parental Rights in Education Act (commonly referred to as the "Don't Say Gay law"), reports arose that Disney funded the legislators who wrote and sponsored the bill; this conflicted with the company's pro-LGBT+ image.

[60] The day after, Chapek formally apologized for his prior statements and announced that the company will be ceasing donations to all political parties in Florida while looking to further improve their support for LGBT+ causes.

According to Disney insiders through CNBC, Iger was formally requested to return as CEO on the previous day, and Chapek was notified on Sunday night.

Calls for Chapek's removal were emphasized that day by Mad Money host Jim Cramer, who particularly aimed criticism towards Disney's "balance sheet from hell".