‘Woke’ Disney world has been rocked by more bad news, as the company will begin mass layoffs after a brutal quarterly earnings report.
Disney CEO Bob Iger gave the bad news on a corporate conference call on Wednesday. Iger said the Magic Kingdom will be laying off 7,000 workers. three percent of the company’s worldwide workforce.
“This reorganization will result in a more cost-effective, coordinated and streamlined approach to our operations… I do not make this decision lightly,” Iger said, according to ABC News.
“While this is necessary to address the challenges we’re facing today, I do not make this decision lightly,” added Iger. “I have enormous respect and appreciation for the talent and dedication of our employees worldwide, and I’m mindful of the personal impact of these changes.”
The Disney CEO is seeking to find $5.5 billion in cost savings after meager earnings, CNN Business reported. One major disappointment for the company is that the streaming platform Disney+ lost subscribers for the first time since its launch, the outlet noted.
The layoffs come amid a string of woes for the company, including the streaming platform Disney+ losing subscribers for the first time since its launch, the outlet noted.
That would be about 2.4 million subscribers. You really have to wonder why.
It’s a real mystery why Disney+ lost 2.4 million subscribers in Q1 2023 pic.twitter.com/liLSixhQtK
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) February 9, 2023
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is going after Disney with a vengeance. On Thursday, Florida lawmakers approved giving Gov. Ron DeSantis new power over the Orlando-area based theme park, which is referred to as the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
The state House, where the Republicans hold a supermajority, passed the measure on an 82-31 vote. The GOP-led state Senate is expected to take up the bill within the next 36 hours. If the measure passes the chamber, it will go to Gov. DeSantis for final approval, where he is expected to sign it.
“There’s a new sheriff in town, and that’s just the way it’s going to be,” DeSantis said at Wednesday news conference.
DeSantis hits out at Disney:
"There's a new sheriff in town. And that's just the way it's gonna be." pic.twitter.com/OlFezKjSTg
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 8, 2023
DeSantis delivered the reality check to Disney while standing in front of boxes of gas stoves. It is yet another way that the governor is serving notice: Florida is where Woke goes to die.
Follow Kyle Becker on Twitter @kylenabecker.