Disney cuts about 1,000 roles in marketing-focused restructuring

Layoffs underway across several groups

Disney is eliminating about 1,000 roles as part of an effort to streamline operations, according to a report citing a company memo and a source familiar with the situation.

The cuts are primarily connected to the formation of a consolidated enterprise marketing division. The affected marketing functions span Disney’s studios, TV networks, ESPN, product and technology, and corporate groups, the source said.

Disney has begun notifying employees whose roles are affected. The company reported having about 231,000 full- and part-time employees as of September 2025, the end of its fiscal year.

Marketing consolidation is the stated operational driver

The restructuring follows the January announcement of a unified enterprise marketing and brand organisation. Disney said that structure is intended to connect its work with consumers more closely.

Chief executive Josh D’Amaro told employees that the company had reviewed ways to simplify operations across parts of the business while continuing to deliver creativity and innovation. He said the decisions reflected an ongoing review of how Disney manages resources and reinvests in its businesses, rather than the contributions of departing employees or the company’s overall strength.

The reported job total is an announced reduction of about 1,000 roles, not an estimate of future losses beyond those positions.

Technology is part of Disney’s workforce rationale

D’Amaro also pointed to the rapid pace of change across Disney’s industries and the need to develop a more agile and technologically enabled workforce for future needs.

That makes technology a stated part of the workforce rationale, but the reported account identifies the marketing consolidation and broader operational streamlining as the primary drivers of the cuts. The available information does not say that artificial intelligence alone caused the layoffs or identify individual roles as being replaced by AI.

Disney said it would provide resources, guidance and direct support to impacted employees as the transition proceeds.

Leadership context

The action is D’Amaro’s first major restructuring move as Disney chief executive. He took over as CEO on March 18, succeeding Bob Iger, after previously serving as chairman of Disney Experiences.

The changes arrive as Disney reorganises marketing and brand operations across several business areas. While the company has framed the reduction as part of a reassessment of operations and investment, it has not provided further detail in the reported material about the timing of individual notifications or the distribution of cuts among the affected groups.

Sources

• Disney Layoffs of 1,000 Employees Are Underway; CEO Josh D'Amaro Says 'I Know This Is Hard'
• Disney Layoffs of 1,000 Employees Are Underway; CEO Josh D'Amaro Says 'I Know This Is Hard'