Disney starts 1,000 layoffs

Disney began cutting about 1,000 jobs this week, the first broad layoffs under Chief Executive Officer Josh D’Amaro. (reuters.com) The cuts span marketing, studios, television, ESPN, products, technology and corporate functions, according to Reuters and other trade reports published April 14 and April 15. Disney started notifying employees this week. (reuters.com) (thewrap.com) D’Amaro told employees in a memo that Disney needs a “more agile and technologically-enabled workforce” and said the changes are meant to streamline operations. Reuters reported the marketing group, which Disney reorganized in January, is taking the heaviest hit. (cnbc.com) (variety.com) The layoffs arrive less than a month after D’Amaro officially became chief executive on March 18, 2026, succeeding Robert A. Iger after Disney’s board named him to the job on February 3. Dana Walden also moved into the newly created role of president and chief creative officer on March 18. (thewaltdisneycompany.com) Disney is making the cuts after years of trying to lower costs while shifting its media business toward streaming and digital distribution. In its fiscal first-quarter results released February 2, Disney said entertainment operating income fell by about $0.6 billion to $1.1 billion as programming, production and marketing costs rose. (investors.thewaltdisneycompany.com 1) (investors.thewaltdisneycompany.com 2) That same quarter, Disney reported revenue of $26.0 billion, up 5% from a year earlier, while total segment operating income fell 9% to $4.6 billion. The company said its sports segment operating income dropped to $191 million, down $56 million from the prior year quarter. (investors.thewaltdisneycompany.com) (businesswire.com) The Wrap reported entire publicity teams were eliminated in some units, including Marvel publicity groups, as Disney folded work into centralized marketing operations. Variety reported the company framed the reductions as part of a broader effort to simplify decision-making. (thewrap.com) (variety.com) Disney said in its 2025 annual report that it had about 231,000 employees as of September 27, 2025, including about 64,000 part-time and seasonal workers. Against that base, 1,000 cuts would amount to well under 1% of the company’s workforce. (stockanalysis.com) (macrotrends.net) For Disney employees, the immediate question is not strategy but which teams remain after this week’s notices. For D’Amaro, the first major workforce move of his tenure now doubles as an early test of how he plans to run a company still balancing cable television, streaming, film and parks. (reuters.com) (cnbc.com)