The Walt Disney Company is preparing to cut up to 1,000 jobs in the coming weeks, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal that cited sources familiar with the matter. A significant portion of these reductions is expected to come from the company’s marketing division.
The report noted that the plans for these job cuts were already in motion before Josh D’Amaro stepped into his role as chief executive officer in March.
Even with the layoffs, the impact on Disney’s overall workforce is likely to be limited. The cuts are expected to affect less than 1 percent of its total employees. As of the end of fiscal year 2025, Disney had a global workforce of around 231,000 people.
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Asad Ayaz, Disney’s newly appointed chief marketing officer, is also looking to streamline the company’s marketing operations and cut costs as part of an internal effort known as Project Imagine, the report said.
Ayaz, who began overseeing a newly formed company-wide marketing organization in January, is expected to bring different marketing teams under a more unified structure while focusing on efficiency.
Since Bob Iger returned to lead The Walt Disney Company in 2022, the company has already cut more than 8,000 roles.
Now, as pressure builds across its streaming and broader media businesses, layoffs are increasingly being used as a way to improve efficiency and control costs.
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The latest round of layoffs at The Walt Disney Company points to a longer-term shift in strategy rather than a sudden crisis. The company has been reshaping how it operates internally, including bringing together teams that previously worked in silos. The goal is to speed up decision making and keep costs in check, particularly across its digital and streaming businesses.
Reports suggest the cuts are aimed more at streamlining corporate functions than reducing roles that directly impact guests. At the same time, Disney is not alone in facing these pressures. Other major players such as Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery have also moved to trim their workforce as the industry navigates similar challenges.