The Walt Disney Company dismissed hundreds of workers from its corporate headquarters in Burbank, California, on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. The job cuts primarily target corporate information technology and human resources divisions, marking the company’s third round of workforce adjustments this year.

Approximately 300 positions are eliminated as part of this corporate restructuring. Chief Executive Officer Josh D’Amaro and Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston had previously informed investors of plans to rein in overhead expenses. In their joint shareholder communication, the executives stated that management remains highly focused on enterprise-wide cost efficiency to free up capital for expansion initiatives, assessing labor adjustments alongside general and administrative spending.

Film and television production units remain outside current dismissals

Production teams across Walt Disney Studios and broadcast operations within Disney Entertainment Television were excluded from this specific round of terminations. The workforce reductions remain confined to central management desks and technical back-office personnel serving worldwide operations.

Horacio Gutierrez, Disney’s Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Legal and Global Affairs Officer, alerted staff to approaching structural changes in an internal communication issued on September 18, 2026. In that message, Gutierrez explained that administrative divisions would become significantly leaner entities by adopting digital workflow automation to handle everyday operational demands.

These involuntary terminations follow the conclusion of an internal early retirement program rolled out during late summer. In August 2026, Disney extended buyout packages exclusively to directors and corporate vice presidents aged 50 and older with at least a decade of service at the firm.

Follow: ABC reveals Grey's Anatomy season 23 trailer and release date

Successive workforce reductions across company operations in 2026

Corporate streamlining gained speed after Josh D’Amaro assumed leadership as chief executive officer, succeeding Bob Iger in March 2026. Executive leadership phased in headcount reductions throughout the calendar year to rebuild operating profitability:

• April 2026: Elimination of approximately 1,000 corporate and creative roles across marketing, consumer products, ESPN, and Marvel.
• July 2026: Several hundred additional dismissals centered on operational departments, affecting Pixar, National Geographic, and sports broadcasting networks.
• September 2026: Approximately 300 corporate redundancies targeted directly at human resources and enterprise technology divisions.

Ongoing enterprise reorganization across worldwide operational hubs

At the close of its preceding reporting year, The Walt Disney Company maintained an international workforce of roughly 231,000 staff members. Out of that overall headcount, 172,000 personnel were stationed across domestic American offices, while 59,000 employees worked in international branches.

Read also: ABC orders Grey's Anatomy season 23 with two major departures

The current operational realignment continues a broader multiyear efficiency effort initially launched under Bob Iger in 2023. During that previous phase, the company eliminated roughly 7,000 positions globally to achieve $5.5 billion in annual operating expense reductions.

Disney has not yet released an official geographical breakdown detailing specific foreign offices or regional headquarters impacted by the latest round of corporate reductions.