Disney’s president says layoffs ‘extremely painful’ but necessary

Disney's president, Dana Walden, has stated that the company's recent layoffs were both "extremely painful" and necessary for its survival. In a recent interview, Walden acknowledged that these workforce reductions were a difficult reality, expressing her empathy for colleagues who have worked with her for most of her career. The layoffs, which took place on Tuesday, involved the termination of more than 300 employees, primarily from the human resources and information technology departments.

This development follows a previous round of layoffs in April, where around 1,000 positions were eliminated, mainly from the marketing group, as part of Disney's strategy to adapt to fierce competition in streaming and the integration of AI tools in production. Walden emphasized that Disney is constantly evaluating its structure and is committed to surviving and thriving in the technology industry.

She also mentioned that the company had offered voluntary retirement options to executives, though it is uncertain if the latest round of layoffs utilized this initiative.