Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) cut approximately 1,000 jobs on Tuesday, the first significant workforce reduction under CEO Josh D’Amaro, who took the helm from Bob Iger on March 18.
The cuts trace directly to a January reorganization that placed Disney’s previously separate marketing operations — spanning its studios, television networks, streaming, and parks divisions — under a single executive for the first time. Naming Chief Marketing and Brand Officer Asad Ayaz to oversee all divisions created widespread role overlap, and Tuesday’s reductions were the consequence.
Beyond marketing, the cuts also reached ESPN, product and technology, and select corporate functions.
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D’Amaro informed staff in an internal memo: “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. 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.”
The 1,000 positions represent roughly 0.4% of Disney’s 231,000-person workforce. People familiar with the matter said the plans were already in motion before D’Amaro officially took office, and that Bain & Co. consultants helped strategize the cost-cutting.
Disney internally named the restructuring effort Project Imagine, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The layoffs mark D’Amaro’s first major structural decision since replacing Iger, who remains with the company in a senior advisory role through the end of fiscal 2026. Since Iger returned to lead Disney in 2022, the company has cut more than 8,000 jobs in total.
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D’Amaro, who joined Disney in 1998 and built his reputation running the parks division, has told staff his overarching vision is to operate as “OneDisney” — where the company’s global businesses work together rather than independently. Project Imagine is its first visible test.
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