Disney Interactive Media Group has initiated a second round of layoffs, resulting in nearly 80 more employees losing their jobs. The move comes hot on the heels of January’s layoff, when 200 staffers on the video games side were let go.
Combined with the layoffs in January, the company has now experienced a job loss of seven percent.
Co-Presidents John Pleasants and Jimmy Pitaro have intentionally kept low profiles since landing their roles in October, but Disney did release a statement that confirmed the layoffs as “part of setting a strategic direction for future success in digital media.”
Pleasants and Pitaro explained their vision for Disney Interactive during an investor’s event last month, claiming that restructuring is key to Disney Interactive’s profitability, with a goal of a smaller operation that could scale to meet business needs. Pleasants also mentioned that he believes in order to scale the business further, operating costs should come down another 25 percent.
The latest round of layoffs impacts employees of the online side of Disney Interactive.
