Disney begins 1,000 layoffs
Walt Disney Co. has started a round of job cuts expected to reach about 1,000 employees, with the reductions concentrated in consolidated marketing functions. (apnews.com) Company statements framed the moves as efforts to create a more agile, technology‑enabled workforce while noting the cuts will affect units including Marvel and other divisions. (variety.com)
Disney has begun cutting about 1,000 jobs, with notices going out this week across parts of the company. (apnews.com) The reductions are centered on Disney’s unified enterprise marketing and brand group, a structure the company announced in January under chief marketing and brand officer Asad Ayaz. Variety reported the cuts also reach studios, television networks, ESPN, product and technology, and corporate teams. (variety.com) Chief executive Josh D’Amaro told employees on Tuesday, April 14, that Disney had been reviewing how to “streamline” operations and build a “more agile and technologically-enabled workforce.” He said affected workers had started being notified this week. (variety.com) The move is the first major restructuring step under D’Amaro, who took over as Disney chief executive on March 18 after Bob Iger. Disney reported about 231,000 full-time and part-time employees as of September 2025. (variety.com) The cuts arrive while Disney is still reporting growth in several core businesses. In its fiscal first quarter results on February 2, Disney said revenue rose 5% to $25.98 billion, and the parks, resorts and cruise division topped $10 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time. (cnbc.com) Disney also told investors in February that it expected double-digit growth in adjusted earnings per share in fiscal 2026, about $19 billion in cash from operations, and $7 billion in share repurchases. The company’s own earnings commentary said streaming, ESPN and theme park expansion were all part of that outlook. (cnbc.com) (thewaltdisneycompany.com) That leaves Disney making cuts from a position of relative financial strength, not during a collapse in revenue. The company has framed the layoffs as a reorganization of overlapping functions rather than a pullback from film, television, sports or parks. (apnews.com) (variety.com) Some of the most visible effects are expected inside the entertainment side of the company. Reports said the layoffs touch Marvel and other publicity and marketing units that were folded into the broader enterprise structure. (variety.com) (apnews.com) D’Amaro told employees the decisions were “not a reflection of their contributions, or of the overall strength of the company.” By week’s end, Disney’s latest effort to simplify how it markets its brands will be measured in jobs lost as much as in org charts redrawn. (variety.com)
