Disney Cuts 300 Jobs in Third Workforce Reduction Under CEO Josh D’Amaro
Walt Disney Company is laying off about 300 employees, mainly in human resources and technology, marking the third workforce reduction wave since Josh D’Amaro became CEO in March.
The Walt Disney Company is laying off approximately 300 employees in a new round of cuts, marking the third such wave since Josh D’Amaro assumed the role of company CEO in March. According to reports from CNBC, the majority of the current layoffs target human resources and technology positions.
Scope and Departmental Impact
Industry outlet Deadline reported that the ongoing cuts are not expected to impact the Disney Entertainment Television division or the film studio. However, the television division is slated to undergo a significant reorganization under the leadership of new executive Debra OConnell.
This move follows two previous rounds of reductions earlier this year. In April, Disney eliminated about 1,000 jobs as part of a restructuring of its corporate marketing division, while July saw the layoff of several hundred additional corporate employees across Pixar, ESPN, Disney Entertainment Television, and the company studios. According to CNBC and other media outlets, the July cuts primarily affected Pixar and National Geographic.
Early Retirement and Cost-Cutting Strategy
Concurrently, Disney recently offered a voluntary early retirement program to employees at the director level and above, aged 50 or older, with a minimum of 10 years of tenure. Deadline noted that the enrollment window for this program closed last weekend. Such initiatives frequently precede mandatory workforce reductions.
"The company is continuously evaluating labor costs, selling expenses, general administrative outlays, and restructuring workflows to free up capital for growth investments," executives noted in communications.
These cuts form part of a broader corporate cost-reduction initiative. In an August letter to shareholders, D’Amaro and Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston outlined strategies to optimize operating expenses. Discussions surrounding headcount reductions intensified following an internal memo sent on September 18 by Chief Legal and Global Affairs Officer Horacio Gutierrez, who warned staff of impending difficult decisions regarding workforce investments and automation integration.
Workforce Context
At the close of fiscal year 2025, Disney employed approximately 231,000 workers globally, including 172,000 in the United States and 59,000 internationally. The current downsizing remains significantly smaller than the multi-year reduction led by Bob Iger following his return as CEO in 2022, during which roughly 8,000 positions were eliminated between 2023 and 2025, yielding $7.5 billion in reported savings.
