Dana Walden Calls Disney Layoffs 'Extremely Painful'
Disney's Dana Walden addressed the company's recent layoffs at the Bloomberg Screentime event, calling them 'extremely painful' as the company restructures.
Dana Walden, a top executive at Disney, publicly addressed the company's latest round of layoffs on Thursday, calling the cuts "extremely painful." She made the comments during an appearance at the Bloomberg Screentime event.
The layoffs, which affected a couple of hundred employees earlier this week, fell largely in technology and human resources. The cuts came as Disney was just emerging from a voluntary retirement program.
Walden explained that the restructuring was necessary to centralize operations and move away from a siloed structure. "We had to centralize and function more as a television business rather than a group of silos," she said, according to Deadline.
She also emphasized the competitive pressures facing the company, noting that technology has set its sights on Disney's business. "We must survive, thrive and grow," Walden added.
Ongoing Restructuring
The recent layoffs are part of a broader pattern of workforce reductions at Disney. In July, the company cut several hundred jobs, largely across National Geographic and Pixar. A separate layoff round of around 1,000 employees followed Josh D'Amaro being named CEO. Earlier this week's cuts came after Disney introduced a Voluntary Early Retirement Offer.
Quick answers
Who commented on Disney's layoffs?
Dana Walden, a Disney executive, called the layoffs 'extremely painful' at the Bloomberg Screentime event.
How many employees were laid off at Disney this week?
A couple of hundred employees were laid off, largely in tech and HR areas.
Why did Disney centralize its operations?
According to Walden, Disney needed to function more as a television business rather than a group of silos.