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From a pure cut-throat capitalist perspective, this seems like a stupid move. Teams like this are not easy to replace, and Disney has plenty of money.

bpodgursky 7y ago
Imagineering is incredibly competitive, and furlough allows employees to pull unemployment benefits temporarily. My guess would be that if Disney can bring them back and get them to work within 2 months, they'll lose very few of the employees. (this really isn't far from how Denmark is handling the crisis nationally -- freeze employment, have the government pay salaries, and do their best to have companies pick back up where they left off w/ the same workforce).
AnthonyMouse 7y ago
Is this related to the thing where the bill they passed is paying out more as unemployment than people would be making if they kept their jobs? It's possible they know exactly what they're doing, are doing everybody a favor, and will just hire them again when everything opens back up.
- thrav 7y ago
  Not for a job like this. Unemployment has limits. It’s only more pay for people at or close to minimum wage.
code_biologist 7y ago
They're furloughed, not laid off. I doubt they'll lose anyone who wasn't intending to leave. I get that John is down, and I definitely don't have whatever insight led him to say "even if I'm lucky enough to return someday, other people won't be". From my understanding though, a huge portion of corporate around the stores and parks was furloughed because there's not much for them to do at home. Their healthcare is covered and kindness aside it doesn't make much sense for Disney to bleed money. But this wasn't a covert layoff — when things get back to speed Disney wants people back. Edit: And furloughing the employees allows them to claim unemployment, so that the US government can absorb the impact rather than Disney. Not pretty, but rational in a time of stimulus.
- threwre423434 7y ago
  I wonder what happened to all the H1Bs and postdocs. Disney Imagineering employed quite a few graduates in Robotics and Graphics (typically, from India and China).
- angry-sw-dev 7y ago
  Unemployment is probably a fraction of their salaries. It's a shame
TeMPOraL 7y ago
Maybe Disney too got overrun by MBAs, and their optimization horizon shortened to "until next quarter"?
- labster 7y ago
  More like their money printer, ESPN, ran out of ink. Theme parks shuttered, movie shoots scrubbed. Theatrical releases delayed to next year. Disney+ is doing great but that’s like saying the orchestra makes great iceberg accompaniment. They are freaked out and making any decision they can to stop the cash burn, if it’s a good idea or not.
  - a012 7y ago
    For the size of Disney empire, they'd have more than enough cash to survive as a whole for months instead of cutting pay to [sic] Imagineering R&D department.
- pishpash 7y ago
  MBA's and management consultants fucked over the world, seriously. They are like mileage churners, but with people.
- IAmEveryone 7y ago
  Look at this thread. More than just Disney is overrun by people gleefully watching others’ misery, and explaining to them how their family happens to be exactly the sort of ritual sacrifice their religion of money needs these days.

bpodgursky 7y ago

Imagineering is incredibly competitive, and furlough allows employees to pull unemployment benefits temporarily. My guess would be that if Disney can bring them back and get them to work within 2 months, they'll lose very few of the employees. (this really isn't far from how Denmark is handling the crisis nationally -- freeze employment, have the government pay salaries, and do their best to have companies pick back up where they left off w/ the same workforce).

AnthonyMouse 7y ago

Is this related to the thing where the bill they passed is paying out more as unemployment than people would be making if they kept their jobs? It's possible they know exactly what they're doing, are doing everybody a favor, and will just hire them again when everything opens back up.

thrav 7y ago
Not for a job like this. Unemployment has limits. It’s only more pay for people at or close to minimum wage.

code_biologist 7y ago

They're furloughed, not laid off. I doubt they'll lose anyone who wasn't intending to leave. I get that John is down, and I definitely don't have whatever insight led him to say "even if I'm lucky enough to return someday, other people won't be". From my understanding though, a huge portion of corporate around the stores and parks was furloughed because there's not much for them to do at home. Their healthcare is covered and kindness aside it doesn't make much sense for Disney to bleed money. But this wasn't a covert layoff — when things get back to speed Disney wants people back. Edit: And furloughing the employees allows them to claim unemployment, so that the US government can absorb the impact rather than Disney. Not pretty, but rational in a time of stimulus.

threwre423434 7y ago
I wonder what happened to all the H1Bs and postdocs. Disney Imagineering employed quite a few graduates in Robotics and Graphics (typically, from India and China).
angry-sw-dev 7y ago
Unemployment is probably a fraction of their salaries. It's a shame

TeMPOraL 7y ago

Maybe Disney too got overrun by MBAs, and their optimization horizon shortened to "until next quarter"?

labster 7y ago
More like their money printer, ESPN, ran out of ink. Theme parks shuttered, movie shoots scrubbed. Theatrical releases delayed to next year. Disney+ is doing great but that’s like saying the orchestra makes great iceberg accompaniment. They are freaked out and making any decision they can to stop the cash burn, if it’s a good idea or not.
- a012 7y ago
  For the size of Disney empire, they'd have more than enough cash to survive as a whole for months instead of cutting pay to [sic] Imagineering R&D department.
pishpash 7y ago
MBA's and management consultants fucked over the world, seriously. They are like mileage churners, but with people.
IAmEveryone 7y ago
Look at this thread. More than just Disney is overrun by people gleefully watching others’ misery, and explaining to them how their family happens to be exactly the sort of ritual sacrifice their religion of money needs these days.