A new biography makes the startling claim that Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger purposely kept Steve Jobs ' cancer a secret despite learning that he was very sick hours before his company bought the animation studio . Iger learned that Job 's cancer had returned half an hour before Disney announced it was buying Jobs ' Pixar studio in 2006 . But in an extraordinary show of faith the CEO of Disney decided to keep the Apple co-founder 's condition a secret for three years , according to a new biography of Jobs obtained by Bloomberg . Secret pact : Steve Jobs , right , talks with Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger at an Apple media event in 2006 , a new book makes the startling claim that Iger purposely kept Jobs ' cancer a secret despite learning that he was very sick hours before buying Jobs ' Pixar . Confession : On the day of the deal in 2006 , the pair found a secluded spot on the Pixar campus in Emeryville , California , pictured , where Jobs put his arm around Iger 's shoulder and revealed that his cancer was back . In the book titled 'Becoming Steve Jobs ' by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli , due to be published on March 24 , details emerged of the business pact that made Jobs ' Disney 's largest shareholder . Iger reasoned that Disney 's $ 7 billion deal for Pixar was not about Jobs or his medical condition so it did not need to be disclosed , according to the biography . The book details how Iger told Jobs : 'You 're our largest shareholder , but I do n't think that makes this matter . You 're not material to this deal . We 're buying Pixar , we 're not buying you . ' Jobs , the prolific co-founder of Apple , was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003 . He underwent surgery to remove it in 2004 , but the tumor returned and he had a liver transplant in 2009 . The book details how on January 24 , 2006 , the proposed day of the deal , Iger was at Pixar 's headquarters for the ceremony when Jobs asked to go for a private walk . As the pair found a secluded spot on the campus in Emeryville , California , Jobs put his arm around Iger 's shoulder and revealed that his cancer was back . Secret : Iger , right , reasoned that the $ 7 billion deal was on the value of Pixar , not Jobs , left , or his medical condition , so , after consulting a lawyer , the deal went ahead . Pixar deal : Steve Jobs , famous founder of Apple Computer , sits beneath the symbol of another of his ventures , Pixar Animation Studios , on January 24 , 2006 , Disney bought the firm for $ 7 million , despite Job 's cancer . Marriage : Steve Jobs and his wife , Laurene Powell , are pictured at the Pixar Exhibit Launch 2005 . The couple married in 1991 , and she , along with his doctor , were the only ones who knew he had cancer at first . Pixar : Ralph J. Guggenheim ( right ) , an executive at Pixar Animation Studios , talks with an animator in the office . The firm has become a powerhouse animation studio for Disney , responsible for producing hits like Toy Story . Iger said Job 's confided : 'Frankly , they tell me I 've got a 50-50 chance of living five years . ' Iger added : 'So I look at my watch and we 've got 30 minutes . In 30 minutes , we 're going to make this announcement . We 've got television crews , we 've got the board votes , we 've got investment bankers . Pixar is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville , California . It is best known for its CGI-animated feature films and has produced fourteen feature films , beginning with Toy Story in 1995 . The firm , established in February 1986 , has become a powerhouse animation studio for Disney , responsible for hits like Ratatouille , WALL-E , Up , Brave and Monsters , Inc. Additionally , the studio has earned 15 Academy Awards , seven Golden Globe Awards , and eleven Grammy Awards . 'The wheels are turning . And I 'm thinking , 'We 're in this post Sarbanes-Oxley world , and Enron and fiduciary responsibility , and he is going to be our largest shareholder and I 'm now being asked to bury a secret . ' Up until that point , only Jobs ' wife Lauren Powell and his doctor knew he had cancer . According to excerpts from the book , after Jobs ' revelation , Iger asked Alan Braverman , Disney 's top lawyer for advice . Braverman quickly agreed that Disney could go ahead with the acquisition . So the deal was done . However , just three years later , Jobs took a medical leave of absence . Iger said : 'In that three-year period , I always knew exactly what was going on with Steve medically . He and I would talk all the time , and since I kept things secret he confided in me . ' The book , which will be published on Tuesday , paints a more sympathetic picture than the 2011 biography by Walter Isaacson , which focused on Jobs ' messy personal life and tough temperament . The Apple co-founder died in October 2011 .
New Steve ##s filed ' Becoming & Jobs ' details claims . Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger purposely kept Steve Jobs ' cancer a secret . Hour before the deal , in private , Jobs revealed that his cancer was back . Iger claimed the value of Pixar was not about Jobs or his cancer but the firm . Pixar deal was finalized in 2013 becoming Jobs ' Disney 's largest shareholder .