Walt Disney is preparing to cut as many as 1,000 positions in the coming weeks, primarily within its marketing department, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
The report notes that plans for the layoffs were set in motion before Josh D’Amaro took over as chief executive officer in March 2026. While significant, the cuts are expected to affect less than 1% of Disney’s total workforce, which stood at approximately 231,000 employees at the end of fiscal year 2025.
Disney’s newly appointed chief marketing officer, Asad Ayaz, is overseeing a company-wide reorganization of marketing under the code-named initiative, Project Imagine. The plan aims to unite the company’s marketing teams and reduce operational expenses.
Ayaz, who assumed oversight of the new marketing structure in January, intends for Project Imagine to enhance efficiency and alignment across Disney’s global marketing operations, a move seen as part of the company’s broader cost-management strategy.
