The Disney layoffs that began this week are sending shockwaves across the company, with roughly 1,000 employees impacted in a sweeping restructuring effort that touches everything from marketing to Marvel.
According to reporting from TheWrap, the cuts include entire publicity teams, the home entertainment division, and multiple roles across digital marketing—marking one of the most aggressive internal resets in recent years.
And notably, these layoffs are unfolding just weeks into Josh D’Amaro’s tenure as CEO.
Layoffs Hit Marketing, Marvel, and Entire Divisions
The scope of these Disney layoffs is significant.
The company eliminated approximately 20 roles within its publicity departments, while also cutting the entire home entertainment team. The EPK (electronic press kit) unit was also shut down, along with multiple high-level digital marketing roles—including senior leadership positions.
The impact wasn’t limited to marketing.
Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer in The Fantastic Four: First Steps – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
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Marvel also saw reductions across several departments, including film and television production, comics, finance, and legal. While Disney pushed back on claims that the cuts reached as high as 8% of Marvel’s workforce, the company acknowledged the layoffs were part of a broader effort to scale back operations.
The reasoning was a reduced production slate.
Marvel’s output had previously been expanded to feed Disney+, but that strategy has now shifted toward fewer projects and tighter cost controls after a number of costly failures.
A Reset Under Josh D’Amaro — Or a Cleanup Job?
The timing of these cuts raises immediate questions.
Josh D’Amaro has only been in the CEO role for a matter of weeks, making it difficult to attribute the underlying causes of these layoffs directly to his leadership. Instead, the need for such sweeping reductions appears tied to decisions made well before his tenure began under the reign of Bob Iger.
Bob Iger via CNBC Television YouTube
Over the past several years, Disney dramatically increased content output—particularly through Disney+—while also restructuring its internal operations around streaming growth. That expansion has now reversed course, with the company emphasizing efficiency and consolidation.
In other words, this looks less like a new strategy and more like a correction.
Dana Walden’s Previous Divisions in the Crosshairs
Another key detail: many of the affected areas fall within Disney’s broader entertainment and marketing structure.
Dana Walden, now serving as President and Chief Creative Officer of Disney Entertainment, previously oversaw a large portion of the company’s television and content operations as co-chair of Disney Entertainment.
While marketing and publicity functions often operate alongside—but not strictly within—content leadership, they are closely tied to the performance and scale of those divisions.
Dana Walden via Variety YouTube
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That raises an uncomfortable question.
If the areas tied to Disney’s entertainment output required such drastic cuts, what does that say about how those divisions were operating prior to this restructuring?
And more pointedly—why elevate leadership from that structure while simultaneously downsizing it?
To be clear, there is no direct confirmation that Walden personally oversaw every affected unit, particularly marketing-specific teams, which have undergone multiple reorganizations in recent years. However, the overlap between content strategy, production scale, and marketing footprint makes the connection difficult to ignore.
Disney’s Push for a “More Technologically-Enabled Workforce”
In a letter to employees, D’Amaro framed the layoffs as part of a broader modernization effort, stating the company is working toward a “more agile and technologically-enabled workforce.”
Josh D’Amaro by Cinderella Castle – Disney
That language suggests Disney is continuing its push toward automation, digital tools, and leaner operational structures—something the company has been signaling for months.
Still, the scale of the layoffs—and the elimination of entire teams—indicates a far more aggressive shift than simple optimization.
The Bigger Picture
These Disney layoffs represent more than just a cost-cutting measure. They’re a clear signal that the company is pulling back from the rapid expansion of the streaming era and attempting to stabilize after years of aggressive growth.
For Josh D’Amaro, the move may define the early perception of his leadership—but the underlying causes appear rooted in decisions made long before he took the helm and should be placed on the shoulders of Bob Iger.
Bob Iger via CNBC Television YouTube
And as Disney restructures its workforce and recalibrates its strategy, it’s clear now that the Bob Iger era of unchecked expansion is over.
How do you feel about these Disney layoffs? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
“More Technologically-Enabled Workforce”
Code for, we are using AI so that we can hire one man instead of five men, to do the same job.
Given Disney has no talent, then you may as well fire the workforce and replace it with a robot sweatshop.
AI bots join no unions.