The Walt Disney Company eliminated approximately 300 workforce positions across corporate functions on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. This move marks the latest restructuring phase under Chief Executive Officer Josh D’Amaro as legacy media conglomerates continue their transition toward digital streaming platforms and streamline operational expenses.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the job cuts primarily targeted roles within the human resources and technology departments. CNBC and Deadline were among the first outlets to report the workforce reductions, which represent a more targeted contraction compared to previous waves earlier in the year.
Restructuring Under CEO Josh D’Amaro
The latest downsizing follows earlier labor contractions initiated after D’Amaro assumed the executive position in March, succeeding longtime chief executive Bob Iger. D’Amaro has prioritized a strategy dubbed “One Disney,” which aims to better align the company’s various divisions and integrate compatible businesses into a unified ecosystem.
In April, Disney planned to eliminate up to 1,000 positions while consolidating its enterprise marketing division. Subsequent reductions in July impacted several hundred staff members across corporate operations, including divisions at Pixar, ESPN, Disney Entertainment Television, National Geographic, and film studios.
Despite the ongoing corporate reductions, core entertainment units such as Disney Entertainment Television and the company’s motion picture studio were reported to be largely exempt from this latest round of September cuts.
Financial Pressures and Cost-Cutting Levers
Disney warned about the most recent round of reductions in its August 5 earnings report, identifying labor reductions as a primary lever to reduce overall corporate costs. In a joint letter to shareholders, D’Amaro and CFO Hugh Johnston emphasized the company’s financial focus:
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. We are mid-stream in this work and will provide future updates on progress.
Prior to the involuntary layoffs, Disney concluded a voluntary early retirement offer for employees at or above the director level who were 50 years of age or older and had served the company for at least 10 years. Such buyout programs frequently precede involuntary staff reductions across large corporate enterprises.
Internal Transformations and Automation
Corporate communications leading up to the announcement also pointed toward broader operational overhauls. In a September 18 memo obtained by media outlets, Chief Legal and Global Affairs Officer Horacio Gutierrez warned his division of upcoming hard choices regarding staffing investments and automation.
Gutierrez outlined a transformation process that includes automating workflows by leveraging latest technologies and adopting self-service systems, signaling that digital integration and automation remain key drivers of structural changes across Disney’s corporate offices.
While the latest round of 300 job cuts impacts a fraction of Disney’s global workforce-which stood at 231,000 employees at the end of fiscal 2025-it highlights the persistent financial pressures facing traditional entertainment giants as they balance legacy operations with digital streaming investments.
