DC hit by Warner Bros. Discovery layoffs - but it may not be as big as some think

We spoke too soon. DC has internally revealed new layoffs late Thursday afternoon, as an all-hands meeting for employees turned out to be the apparent unveiling of a restructuring and re-organization of DC inside the larger Warner Bros. Discovery organization.

At time of writing, it’s unclear how extensive the layoffs are, or to what degree any restructuring will be felt outside of the company, although some sources have implied that the answer in both cases may be "minimally."

According to sources familiar with the situation, DC’s editorial division has been left mostly untouched as part of the restructuring, perhaps in recognition that DC editorial has remained relatively lean and reduced since the widespread layoffs the company underwent in 2020 that saw almost a third of the company cut at once. Since then, DC editorial has remained relatively stable with only organic attrition in the past three years.

Bleeding Cool is reporting that Alison Gill, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing & Operations, was one of departing as part of the restructuring, described as retiring, although Popverse has been unable to confirm that as of writing.

DC was one of the final divisions inside Warner Bros. Discovery to face cuts across the past year, in the wake of the April 2022 merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. Warner Bros. Television Group laid off a number of staffers in October, with CNN and Turner Sports following suit a month later. A number of existing and announced projects were put to rest at HBO Max amid layoffs at the streaming platform, including the much-discussed cancelation of the Batgirl movie as it neared completion.

It was estimated by some that WBD spent somewhere in the region of $1 billion to find $3 billion in savings at the company, but WBD chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels was quoted in January as saying that he believed that the company was “done with that chapter.”

It should perhaps be noted that WBD reoganized the Global Brands and Experiences division of the company in December, with new heads put in place for North American Consumer Products and EMEA Consumer Products, as well as Global E-Commerce. DC officially falls under the purview of WBD Global Brands and Experiences President Pam Lifford, and has done since the division’s creation in 2018.

DC declined to comment when contacted by Popverse.

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