Disney Layoffs: Thousands Of Jobs At Risk As Entertainment Giant Targets 20% Cost Savings

Disney apparently wants some managers to explore methods to achieve yearly cost savings of about 20 per cent.

Walt Disney Co. is planning another round of layoffs that may affect thousands of employees as the entertainment giant works to decrease operational expenses, Bloomberg News reported, citing sources familiar with the subject.

Some managers have apparently been instructed by the corporation to find ways to achieve yearly cost reductions of roughly 20%, indicating a wider reorganisation under chief executive Josh D’Amaro.

The cost-cutting initiatives come as Disney faces a host of issues, including the rise of artificial intelligence, or AI, a sluggish box office, more competition in the streaming sector and a slowdown in overseas attendance at its theme parks.

The Bloomberg article said the restructure's effects are expected to vary by business unit, with some operations bearing a higher percentage of the reductions. Disney said it will reinvest some of the savings into key areas such as film and television programming, technology, theme parks, and its cruise ship business.

The research does not say how many jobs may be lost. Disney had over 231,000 workers by the end of fiscal 2025.

This restructuring comes after numerous rounds of job cuts as Disney tries to boost profitability and simplify the business.

Reuters reported in September that the corporation was cutting several hundred jobs in its human resources and technology departments. Disney also lost about 1,000 jobs in April, on top of several hundred posts being slashed in 2025.

The firm in 2023 conducted a somewhat deeper restructure, removing about 7,000 workers in a broader drive to cut expenses by $5.5 billion under the leadership of former-CEO Bob Iger.

But Disney is not the only one looking to cut jobs throughout the entertainment sector. Streaming behemoth Netflix and Skydance, which took over Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this year, are also cutting jobs as media giants try to control costs and improve financial performance.