Following layoffs earlier this month, Disney is conducting another round of cuts. This time, the layoffs affect the product and technology division led by Adam Smith.
The latest round of layoffs impacts under 2% of the group, according to a source familiar with the matter.
According to the source, the layoffs are about “rebalancing and refocusing” product and technology workforce investments, and the company is being “surgical” in its approach to minimize the employees impacted.
Smith joined Disney last year from Google and YouTube to help improve the technology for Disney+, Hulu, and the upcoming ESPN streaming service set to launch later this year. Despite the cuts, the product and tech division is still making new hires and has plans to grow.
This is the fifth round of layoffs Disney has conducted over the past year, primarily affecting its TV operations.
During the round of layoffs that took place earlier this month, a source said the company was also being “surgical” in its approach to the cuts. At the time, several hundred staffers across Disney Entertainment’s marketing and publicity units, as well as its financial operations team, were impacted by layoffs.
Disney isn’t the only company laying off employees. Other publishers, such as Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount, also have recent cuts. WBD laid off dozens of employees across its linear networks earlier this month. Meanwhile, Paramount recently laid off several hundred employees, around 3.5% of its U.S. workforce, as well.
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