he much-anticipated layoffs at are finally underway. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the company, which has its roots in the late Steve Jobs and was acquired by in 2006, is set to notify its employees about the impending staff reductions. This marks the largest restructuring in Pixar's history, affecting approximately 14 percent of its workforce, or around 175 employees, out of the 1,300 who worked at the animation studio.
The decision to downsize comes as part of Disney chief 's broader initiative to prioritize quality over quantity in content creation. This shift in focus is a departure from the previous emphasis on producing content for streaming platforms, which was favored during the tenure of , Iger's short-lived successor. Disney executives have reiterated their commitment to quality during recent earnings calls, acknowledging that creative teams across the company had been stretched thin in the rush to supply content to streaming services.
Pixar employees had been anticipating these layoffs since January, and while the news is undoubtedly distressing, there is some relief in the fact that the actual reduction is less than the 20 percent initially reported by some news outlets. Furthermore, Pixar is not being singled out, as layoffs were implemented across all of Disney last year, with the cuts at Pixar being postponed due to production schedules. Pixar cuts 14% of staff in largest restructuring in studio history Under the leadership of , will now shift its focus .
