According to informed sources who wish to remain anonymous, Disney is planning to cut thousands of jobs. The sources stated that the entertainment giant also requires some managers to reduce costs by up to 20%; however, no authorization has been obtained for making such information public.

This is the latest round of layoffs since CEO Josh Damaro took office. There was already a round of layoffs in April, which mainly affected the marketing department; another round of layoffs occurred in September, with a large number of employees from the human resources and technology departments being affected. Bloomberg was the first to report on this latest round of layoffs.

The company's management hinted in the August financial report about the possibility of further staff reductions. Damaro and Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston stated in the financial report: "We are always highly focused on reducing costs across the group to free up more resources for business growth, and we are currently evaluating various feasible measures. The related work is still in progress, and we will announce updates later on."

In August, Disney launched an early retirement program for some of its employees. Sonia Coleman, the company's Chief Human Resources Officer, stated in a letter to employees on August 24th: "This is one of several measures we are taking to reshape our organization. Some business units have already begun voluntary layoffs, and these actions will continue into next year."

According to Disney's 2025 fiscal year annual report, as of the end of the 2025 fiscal year (at the end of September of that year), Disney had a total workforce of approximately 231,000 people.

It's not just Disney among the entertainment companies cutting costs. Netflix revealed in an internal memo last month that it would lay off employees; Paramount and Warner Bros., which are exploring the merger to form a new company Skyd, are also expected to cut staff, with the goal of achieving $6 billion in synergistic cost savings over three years.

Disney will release its financial report for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026 on November 17.