EXCLUSIVE: Disney has begun laying off a few hundred employees, primarily in technology and human‑resources functions, as the company continues to tighten its budget under newly appointed CEO Josh D’Amaro. The latest reductions are smaller than those seen in the two prior downsizing rounds earlier this year.
Sources tell Deadline that the current cuts spare Disney’s television unit—Disney Entertainment Television—which is slated for a major overhaul under new head Debra OConnell, as well as the film studio. Only shared services such as technology and human resources are impacted at this time.
As of the end of fiscal 2025, Disney employed roughly 231,000 people worldwide—about 172,000 in the United States and 59,000 internationally. Approximately 16 % of the workforce is part‑time and an additional 8 % are seasonal, reflecting the sizable contribution of the parks and resorts segment to overall employment.
These layoffs come on the heels of a recent early‑retirement program that targeted directors and above aged 50 with a minimum of ten years of service. The voluntary exit window, a typical prelude to involuntary reductions, closed over the weekend after its cooling‑off period, according to sources.
A September 18 memo from Chief Legal and Global Affairs Officer Horacio Gutierrez foreshadowed the cuts. In the communication to LGA staff, obtained by Deadline, he cautioned about “hard choices” regarding staffing investments and described the division as “a much smaller organization” undergoing a transformation that will “automate certain workflows by leveraging the latest technologies.”
Because the memo highlighted AI’s role in the reorganization, it quickly circulated throughout the firm. The LGA division—staffed by fewer than 1,000 people globally—faces separate, unspecified reductions that are not part of this latest round. Nonetheless, entertainment‑industry employees remain concerned about the broader pressures from big‑tech rivals and advancing artificial‑intelligence tools.
Since taking the helm from Bob Iger in March, CEO Josh D’Amaro has directed several downsizing efforts. The first, in April, eliminated roughly 1,000 roles, followed by several hundred more in July, primarily at Pixar and National Geographic.
In an August 5 letter to shareholders, D’Amaro and CFO Hugh Johnston emphasized that “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.” They added, “We are mid‑stream in this work and will provide future updates on our progress.”
Although the latest round represents another setback for Hollywood, it is modest compared with the larger cuts implemented by Bob Iger after his return in 2022. Between 2023 and 2025, Disney shed approximately 8,000 employees, generating cost savings of $7.5 billion—significantly above the company’s original projections.