Disney announces layoffs affecting a few hundred staff in tech and HR
Disney is cutting several hundred positions, mainly in technology and human resources, as part of ongoing cost-reduction efforts under CEO Josh D'Amaro.
Disney confirmed a new round of layoffs that will affect a few hundred employees, primarily in its technology and human-resources functions. The cuts are smaller than the two earlier reductions earlier this year and do not impact the Disney Entertainment Television division or the motion-picture studio, according to internal sources.
The company, which reported 231,000 employees at the end of fiscal 2025, recently concluded a voluntary early-retirement program for directors aged 50 or older with at least a decade of service. The program’s cooling-off period ended this weekend, paving the way for the involuntary reductions.
"We remain highly focused on reducing costs across the enterprise to create incremental capacity to invest for growth and are evaluating a variety of levers, including reductions in labor and SG&A," Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro and CFO Hugh Johnston wrote in an August 5 letter to shareholders.
Internal communications from chief legal officer Horacio Gutierrez warned of “hard choices” and a “transformation process” that could involve automating workflows with new technologies. While the memo referenced potential AI-driven efficiencies, it did not specify cuts within the legal and global affairs unit, which has fewer than 1,000 staff worldwide.
Since taking over from Bob Iger in March, D'Amaro has overseen multiple layoffs, including 1,000 positions in April and several hundred more in July, mainly at Pixar and National Geographic. The current reductions are modest compared with the roughly 8,000 jobs cut under Iger’s 2022-2025 cost-saving plan, which delivered $7.5 billion in savings.