Speaking at Bloomberg’s Screentime event Oct. 1, the Disney executive said tech companies have “set their sights on our business.” About 300 HR and tech jobs were cut in late September, Disney’s third round of 2026.
Dana Walden says the latest round of Disney layoffs hurts, and that more change across Hollywood is coming.
“It is extremely painful,” Walden said Thursday, Oct. 1, at Bloomberg’s Screentime conference in Los Angeles, per TheWrap. “We’ve exited colleagues who I’ve worked with for most of my career.”
Walden, Disney’s president and chief creative officer, was interviewed by Bloomberg’s Emily Chang. Her comments came days after Disney cut about 300 jobs in human resources and technology, per TheWrap.
How many people did Disney lay off in September 2026?
About 300, in HR and tech, per TheWrap.
The cuts came alongside a voluntary early retirement program that gave some longtime employees the choice to leave, per MickeyBlog. It’s Disney’s third round of job cuts in 2026.
Earlier this year, Disney cut about 1,000 marketing jobs, plus positions in its entertainment divisions, including ESPN, National Geographic and Pixar, per TheWrap.
In total, Disney has laid off more than 10,000 people since 2022, TheWrap reported.
Why is Disney cutting jobs, according to Walden?
She pointed to two reasons.
The first is how Disney grew. The company bought several big businesses over the years, and many kept running as separate units with their own staff. Walden said Disney is now “centralizing and functioning more as a television business,” per MickeyBlog, and that means looking hard at how many people it needs.
The second is competition from the tech world.
“Technology set their sights on our business, and we must survive and thrive and grow,” she said, per Deadline and TheWrap.
Will there be more Disney layoffs?
Walden didn’t rule it out, and she didn’t promise it was over.
She described the changes in the industry as an ongoing process, and said “this evolution it will never stop,” per TheWrap. She also said she expects more layoffs across Hollywood, not only at Disney, TheWrap reported.
That includes the upcoming merger of Paramount and Warner Bros., which a federal judge cleared to close on Sept. 30. Walden said she would tell executives going through that process to “approach these processes with compassion,” per TheWrap.
What other Disney layoffs happened in September?
This is the second layoff story out of Disney in a matter of weeks.
In late September, an internal memo told Disney’s legal department to prepare for a “much smaller organization.” Days later, Disney posted a high-paying job for an AI-focused legal role, which drew attention because of the timing.
Walden addressed those cuts in a public interview with Bloomberg.
Who is Dana Walden?
One of the most powerful executives at Disney.
Walden oversees much of Disney’s entertainment business, including its TV networks, streaming programming and studios. She came to Disney when it bought most of 21st Century Fox in 2019, after running Fox’s TV studio and network.
She was widely reported as a contender to succeed Bob Iger as CEO. That job went to Josh D’Amaro, the former head of Disney’s parks.
At Screentime, she also spoke about Disney’s TV business and late-night programming, per Variety and Deadline. The layoffs got the most attention.
For the roughly 300 people who lost jobs in September, the company’s explanation came on stage at a conference. Walden didn’t announce any new cuts on Oct. 1, and Disney hasn’t said whether more are planned.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
Deadline (Oct. 1, 2026), first report of Walden’s layoff comments at Screentime
TheWrap (Oct. 1, 2026), Walden quotes, Emily Chang interview, layoff counts, Paramount-Warner Bros. comments
MickeyBlog (Oct. 1, 2026), voluntary early retirement program, third round of 2026, “centralizing” quote
Variety (Oct. 1, 2026), Walden’s other Screentime remarks
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