The Walt Disney Company initiated a major workforce reduction Tuesday that will result in approximately 1,000 employees losing their jobs throughout the entertainment giant.
CEO Josh D’Amaro, who took over leadership from Bob Iger in February, announced the widespread job eliminations following an earlier restructuring of Disney’s marketing operations in January. The workforce reduction will impact multiple areas of the California-headquartered corporation, spanning traditional television operations like ESPN and the film studio division. Workers in technology, product development, and various corporate departments will also face job losses.
In an internal company message acquired by The Associated Press, D’Amaro explained the reasoning behind the cuts. “Over the past several months, we have looked at ways in which we can streamline our operations in various parts of the company to ensure we deliver the world-class creativity and innovation our fans value and expect from Disney,” D’Amaro wrote. “Given the fast-moving pace of our industries, this requires us to constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs.”
This marks Disney’s second major round of job reductions in recent years. When Iger resumed his role as CEO in 2022, the company eliminated approximately 8,000 positions. Disney’s workforce totaled roughly 230,000 employees as of late 2025.
D’Amaro, who joined Disney in 1998 and previously managed the company’s profitable theme park operations, now faces the challenge of navigating industry-wide pressures.
The entertainment sector has experienced widespread downsizing recently. Since David Ellison’s company acquired Paramount Skydance, that studio has eliminated 2,000 positions, with more cuts anticipated if Paramount’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery receives approval from shareholders and regulators. Additionally, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced plans last week to cut hundreds of jobs from its workforce.
