Disney Cuts Nearly 300 Jobs in Ongoing Restructuring Efforts

The Walt Disney Company has laid off nearly 300 employees as part of its ongoing restructuring efforts. The job cuts primarily impacted the human resources and technology divisions, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times. These layoffs follow earlier announcements by CEO Josh D'Amaro, who took over in March, about eliminating around 1,000 positions earlier this year to "streamline operations."

Further job cuts are expected, including a significant restructuring of the TV division early next year, which could result in hundreds of additional layoffs, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Disney's president, Dana Walden, acknowledged the pain of these decisions during a media conference, stating, "It is extremely painful. We’ve exited colleagues who I’ve worked with for most of my career and it is, in many ways, a harsh reality."

Walden also highlighted that Disney's voluntary retirement program aims to give long-tenured executives the opportunity to decide if the timing is right to leave. She emphasized that the company's evolution will never stop, as technology continues to reshape the business landscape. "Technology set their sights on our business, and we must survive, and thrive and grow. And that’s what we’re going to do," she added.

Earlier this year, Disney appointed Karandeep Anand as its first-ever chief technology officer to expand the company's focus on technology as a key growth driver. Anand will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product, and engineering across Disney’s segment technology teams.