Disney is preparing to eliminate as many as 1,000 positions in the coming weeks, with a heavy focus on the consolidated marketing department. This marks one of the first major moves under new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, who took over in March 2026 after Bob Iger’s exit.
Such a move comes in combination with the ongoing positions lost at the sports colossus ESPN. The timing also seems to mysteriously line up with a DOJ Investigation into NFL media deals that are reportedly unrelated. Yet there seems to be a pattern at Disney and it’s not a kind one.
When Reimagining Backfires
Back in 2022 with the return of Bob Iger, the company shed more than 8,000 jobs. Now new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro is pushing a strategic reset focused on efficiency. This includes combining Disney+ and Hulu operations (as Hollywood Scooper WDW Pro reported) that will be fully realized in 2026. Heavily discounted bundles already exist combining Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus at multiple price points.
The Rock as Maui in the live action trailer for Moana – YouTube, Disney
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Years of “reimagining” classic properties and chasing diversity mandates delivered at best, mixed box office results and streaming challenges that audiences often rejected. It led to the diminished values and perceptions of key verticals in both Marvel and Star Wars as well. Even the film that set the Disney brand’s star in Hollywood was not immune from a catastrophic, politically driven failure. The Live Action remake of Snow White Lost $100s of Millions at the box office.
The Cost of Chasing the Wrong Metrics
Forced initiatives and overproduction during the streaming boom drained resources. Marketing teams ballooned under earlier structures, only to face consolidation now. Shareholder pressure is much higher, so the new leadership is doing what was delayed for too long: real cost control through headcount reduction. That’s only one avenue of correction.
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Snow White (2025), Walt Disney Studios
This will be an expensive pivot at a time when multiple levels of revitalization are required. That effort all comes at a cost, which means there will be even more competition for funding. Even judicious spending must be in the right places, and Disney has done a very poor job of evaluating those metrics for the last decade.
What the Cultural Rot Leaves Behind
As I point out in other recent articles, the progressive era created a rot that found it’s way to the core of Disney’s former business model. It destroyed the now famous “Fly-Wheel”. To combat the previous anti-family approach, an obvious and aggressive campaign is required, such as the switch back to gendered language in the parks, as reported recently.
Durag in Hey A.J.! – Disney Jr., YouTube
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This, like so many things in media right now, can not be a temporary poultice. It must be a full campaign of changing hearts and minds to believe that The Walt Disney Company is once again alive an well honoring the very vision of Walter Elias Disney himself.
The other battles involve everything else that media brings with it. High California costs, global competition, and Big Tech eating into traditional revenue streams are not going away and neither are the pressures of further consolidation.
The people who prioritized political posturing over proven storytelling formulas are watching the consequences play out in real time. They should be counting their numbered days. So analysts like myself have to ask this question: Is Josh the right person to re-align everything into a family brand?
Everything Ahead Could Be Easy
Centralizing operations will cut jobs and shift more work to contractors or streamlined teams. That’s a move everyone is doing, including Paramount Skydance. A rigid focus on rebuilding a broken “Fly-wheel” and family brand are key requirements too.
Yet, when the dust settles, will Disney still feel like the entertainment powerhouse that built its empire on broad audience appeal, or just another leveraged media machine fighting for every margin in a tougher landscape? Let us know you thoughts in the comments section below.
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