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MORE Layoffs Coming as Iger Puts Chapek-Era to an End

Iger Disney layoffs
Credit: Orange County Register

The Chapek-Era is coming to a close as newly reinstated CEO Bob Iger makes good on his promise to restructure the Walt Disney Company. On his first day back at the office, Iger announced that he’d be walking back many of the changes implemented by Bob Chapek, which includes sorting out the mess he made of the media arm of the company. 

Related: Disney Fixes another Chapek-Era Policy 

Bob Chapek

Credit: CNN

Under Chapek, the Disney Media and Entertainment Division was created to consolidate all of Disney’s tech, content operations, platforms, media distribution, and streaming. Iger seeks to dissolve the department entirely. This move has been praised by many because it will put creative control back into the hands of creatives rather than a centralized executive. 

However, the dissolution of the Disney Media and Entertainment Division will mean more layoffs would come down the pipeline. The ball already started rolling when, in one of his first moves as CEO, Iger fired the Division Department head (and Chapek Loyalist) Kareem Daniel. 

Bob Iger

Credit: D23

Related: Another Disney Exec Gone as Iger Makes Massive Changes 

Iger already announced that the hiring freeze under Chapek would remain in place as the company seeks to bolster its positioning on Wall Street. The round of layoffs would further its attempts at solvency because the current structure puts financial losses in the hands of The Walt Disney Company directly rather than the individual departments or production partners. 

The company also is making moves to streamline its television studios under one umbrella. Currently, Disney is in control of  20th Television, 20th Television Animation, ABC Signature, FX Productions, Searchlight Television, and Walt Disney Television Alternative. By consolidating these branches into one department, Disney will cut costs and overhead significantly. Still, this move will also come with significant layoffs as many positions will be eliminated in the consolidation process. 

Related: Heads Continue to Roll at Walt Disney Company 

These additional layoffs are an unfortunate consequence of Chapek Era mismanagement and overreach. Bob Chapek notoriously mismanaged Disney+, even going so far as to make moves that, while legal, sought to hide the losses the streaming service was experiencing.  Iger’s current task is to untangle the mess and bring Disney+ out of the red and into the black. Doing so will be no easy task, and casualties are to be expected in the process. 

About Jill Bivins

Jill Bivins has been visiting Disney Parks since she was 2 years old and loves sharing her Disney adventures with the world. She likes to say Disney is in her blood and writing is in her bones — so any time she has the opportunity to combine these loves she is one happy camper! She has a deep abiding love for Epcot and as a die hard Star Wars fan has a serious love for Hollywood Studios as well. When she isn't exploring or writing about Disney Parks, Jill is homeschooling her 8 year old son, playing with her brand new baby son, or pretending to be a farmer on her family homestead (despite being unable to keep even a cactus alive). Find Jill on Instagram @minnieonmain.