Disney layoffs hit about 300 HR and tech staff in third 2026 round

Disney layoffs are back for a third time this year. The Walt Disney Company is cutting a few hundred jobs, mostly in human resources and technology, according to reports by Reuters and CNBC on Tuesday, 29 September 2026.

CNBC put the number at around 300, citing a person familiar with the matter. Variety was first with the story, and Reuters said its own source described the cuts as affecting a few hundred staff. Disney had not commented publicly in any of the reports.

Three hundred jobs is a small slice of a company that employed about 231,000 people at the end of its 2025 financial year. What stands out is how often it is happening: Josh D’Amaro has now cut jobs three times since he became chief executive in March.

How many jobs are going in the latest Disney layoffs?

Around 300, according to CNBC, while Reuters described the total only as a few hundred. The cuts fall mainly on human resources and technology teams, and TheWrap reports that Disney Entertainment Television and the film studio were largely spared this time.

None of the reports gave locations, severance terms or a timetable. Of Disney’s 231,000 staff at the end of the 2025 financial year, about 172,000 were in the United States and 59,000 elsewhere, Reuters said.

Why does Disney keep cutting jobs in 2026?

D’Amaro, who took over from Bob Iger in March 2026, has been trimming costs all year while spending on content, technology and the parks. Put the reports side by side and the year looks like this:

• April 2026: about 1,000 roles across marketing, studios, television, ESPN, consumer products, technology and corporate teams, according to Reuters.
• July 2026: several hundred more across corporate functions, ESPN, Disney Entertainment Television and the studios, with Pixar and National Geographic hit hard, TheWrap reports.
• August 2026: early retirement packages offered to long-serving staff, according to TheWrap; Quartz reports the programme has just closed.
• September 2026: around 300 roles, mostly in HR and technology.

Reuters links the pressure to streaming competition, artificial intelligence and weaker cinema revenue. For scale, Disney cut 7,000 jobs in 2023 under Iger as part of a $5.5 billion cost-saving plan.

Do the Disney job cuts affect Nigeria?

Nothing in the reports points to Nigeria. None of them mentions Nigerian or African staff, or any change to how Disney’s films and shows reach Nigerian audiences.

Disney’s best-known Nigerian project is Iwájú, the animated series set in a futuristic Lagos that Walt Disney Animation Studios made with Lagos-based Kugali, and which had its world premiere in Lagos in February 2024. This round, as TheWrap describes it, is aimed at back-office teams rather than the studios that make that kind of content.

What happens next

Disney has not said whether more cuts are coming. Its financial year closes at the end of September; last year the company reported full-year results on Thursday, 13 November 2025, and it has not yet announced the date for this year’s report.

FAQ

How many people is Disney laying off?
Around 300, according to CNBC. Reuters described it as a few hundred employees, mostly in human resources and technology.

Is this Disney’s first round of layoffs in 2026?
No. It is the third, after about 1,000 cuts in April and several hundred more in July.

Who is Disney’s CEO?
Josh D’Amaro, who became chief executive of The Walt Disney Company in March 2026.

Should studios cut back-office jobs while they spend more on content? Tell us in the comments.

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