Disney President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden spoke openly about the company’s latest layoffs this week. She called the cuts “extremely painful” but said Disney has to keep changing to stay competitive.
Walden spoke on October 1 at Bloomberg’s Screentime conference in Los Angeles. Her comments came just days after Disney cut more than 300 jobs, mostly in its Human Resources and technology teams. This is the third round of Disney layoffs in 2026. About 1,000 jobs were cut in April, mostly in marketing, and the company also offered a Voluntary Early Retirement program to longtime executives.
“It is extremely painful,” Walden said. “We’ve exited colleagues who I’ve worked with for most of my career. It is in many ways a harsh reality.”
Walden explained that Disney’s entertainment business grew through what she called “amazing acquisitions.” Each of those businesses kept its own executives. That setup no longer works in today’s market. “We had to make decisions around centralizing and functioning more as a television business and not a group of silos,” she said, adding that “there is a need to constantly evaluate how you’re structured.”
She also pointed to the pressure big tech companies are putting on Hollywood. “Technology set their sights on our business, and we must survive and thrive and grow,” Walden said.
Walden described the retirement offer as “extremely generous.” She said it let longtime executives have a say in how and when they left. She also had advice for leaders at other studios facing similar decisions as the industry keeps consolidating. “I would recommend that you approach these processes with compassion and try to do the best by your colleagues,” she said.
These cuts are some of the first big structural changes since Josh D’Amaro took over as Disney CEO. Disney, like much of Hollywood, is working to cut costs while it competes in streaming and adjusts to new technology like AI. Fans will be watching to see whether these changes affect the films, series, and experiences they love.
What do you think about Disney’s latest round of layoffs and Dana Walden’s comments? Let us know in the comments!
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