Disney is planning to cut as many as 1,000 employees over the next few weeks, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which would mark the first job cuts since The Walt Disney Company appointed Josh D’Amaro as its new CEO in March.
Newsweek has contacted The Walt Disney Company for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Disney is the latest major entertainment company looking to reduce jobs amid economic uncertainty due to the war in Iran, rising oil prices, and geopolitical instability. On Tuesday, Sony Pictures Entertainment also confirmed that it plans to cut hundreds of roles in television, film and corporate divisions in the months to come.
What To Know
Many of the reported layoffs to come at Disney will be in the company’s marketing department, according to the WSJ.
Disney employed around 231,000 people as of the end of the fiscal year 2025, which saw an annual revenue of $94.4 billion, according to the company. Around 76 percent of Disney’s global workforce is full-time, while around 172,000 of them work in the United States, according to Variety.
Plans for the upcoming job cuts at Disney began before D’Amaro assumed his new role in March, according to the WSJ. D’Amaro was elected as the new CEO on February 3 and officially took over the role on March 18, ending former CEO Bob Iger’s 52-year run at Disney. The company’s most-recent large-scale staff reduction was in 2023, when around 7,000 positions were cut after Iger returned for his second stint as CEO.
Back in January, the company promoted Asad Ayaz to chief marketing and brand officer, after announcing plans to consolidate marketing at the film, television, and streaming operations. Many of the cuts announced as part of the latest round of layoffs are related to that move, reported Deadline, citing an unnamed person familiar with the staff reduction.
D’Amaro joined the company in 1998 at Disneyland Resort and served as chairman of Disney Experiences from 2020. He also previously served as the president of Walt Disney World Resort. He expanded Disney’s iconic franchises through the launch of different immersive experiences at Disney’s theme parks, such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the Marvel-themed Avengers Campus, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and World of Frozen.
What Happens Next
No further details have been shared about Disney’s upcoming round of layoffs.
Ayaz, the company’s new chief marketing and brand officer, plans to consolidate Disney’s marketing group and reduce expenses under code-named Project Imagine, according to the WSJ.
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