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Disney lays off a few hundred more staff, mostly in HR and tech

Disney cut a few hundred jobs on 29 September, mainly in human resources and tech, under CEO Josh D'Amaro. Outlets differ on whether it is the third or fourth round this year, and on how to read the cuts.

4 outlets · 2L · 1C · 1R First reported Account updated

Updated (version 2). Rewritten with the latest reporting.

Image: Deadline
Image: The A.V. Club
Image: Breitbart
Image: The Hollywood Reporter

1 / 4

The story, neutrally told

Disney laid off a few hundred employees on Tuesday 29 September, mostly in human resources and technology. Deadline's sources said Disney's TV division and film studio were largely spared, and that this round was smaller than the two before it this year. CEO Josh D'Amaro cut about 1,000 jobs in April, and further reductions followed in July, with Pixar and National Geographic hit hardest.

The Hollywood Reporter calls this the fourth round of the year, while Breitbart, citing Variety, calls it the third. In an August shareholder letter, D'Amaro and CFO Hugh Johnston said the company was "mid-stream" in cost reductions, including labor, and promised updates. Deadline says the cuts followed a voluntary early-retirement offer to senior, longer-serving staff, which it describes as typically a precursor to involuntary reductions.

An 18 September memo from legal chief Horacio Gutierrez warned of "hard choices" and said his department would become much smaller, citing a "transformation process" that includes automating workflows. Deadline says cuts within that legal department are separate from this round, and that the memo was widely shared partly because of fears that AI would drive downsizing. Deadline puts Disney's workforce at 231,000 at the end of fiscal 2025 and notes about 8,000 jobs were cut between 2023 and 2025 under Bob Iger.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left2 outlets

Framing
Trade and culture coverage of D'Amaro's continuing cost-cutting; THR stresses mounting casualties and AI-driven restructuring, A.V. Club summarises Deadline with a sardonic tone.
Emphasis
Earlier rounds, the AI angle, the early-retirement process, ESPN talent cut in July (THR).
Leaves out or plays down
THR does not mention the early-retirement offer or that the round is smaller than earlier ones; A.V. Club omits the shareholder letter.
Charged language
“belt-tightening spree”“gobsmacking number of firings”“Corporate Streamlining Casualties Mount”
For example
“Disney Cuts Hundreds More Jobs in New Round of Layoffs as Corporate Streamlining Casualties Mount” — The Hollywood Reporter
“D’Amaro’s latest axing spree” — The A.V. Club

Centre1 outlet

Framing
Exclusive, sourced news report with detailed context on scale, sectors spared and the run-up to the cuts.
Emphasis
Which divisions were spared, the early-retirement offer, the legal memo, and comparison with Iger-era cuts.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not state explicitly which round number this is; gives less on ESPN and other July cuts.
Charged language
“tighten its belt”
For example
“is a smaller number than the two previous rounds of layoffs earlier this year” — Deadline

Right1 outlet

Framing
Opinion column using the layoffs to attack Disney's content and culture, and to predict AI and YouTube will displace Hollywood.
Emphasis
Blames the cuts on audience alienation; streaming competition; AI-made entertainment.
Leaves out or plays down
Omits the early-retirement offer, the legal memo and that the cuts are smaller than earlier rounds; calls the round "massive" while noting Disney has over 200,000 staff.
Charged language
“Disney Grooming Syndicate”“obscene grooming campaign”“Normal People”“far-left Variety”
For example
“This is what happens when you alienate Normal People with your lousy product and an obscene grooming campaign aimed at little kids.” — Breitbart