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[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Perhaps there is an "Iger curse" LOL - he leaves the first time and covid shuts down the world. This time, the tech investments blow up and ABC has a new disaster on its hands.

https://pagesix.com/2026/03/25/holl...-sora-shutdown-makes-it-a-trifecta-of-losses/

Nightmare start for new Disney CEO as Sora shutdown makes it a trifecta of losses​

Published March 25, 2026, 9:45 a.m. ET

Josh D'Amaro has had a rough start as Disney's new CEO. Getty Images

This can’t be how Josh D’Amaro wanted to start his new job.

Following the abrupt cancellation of “The Bachelorette” over Taylor Frankie Paul’s domestic violence issues, D’Amaro — who only started as CEO last week — has yet another debacle on his hands after it was announced on Tuesday that OpenAI was shutting down its Sora video app.

The announcement which sent shockwaves through the media and tech worlds scuttled the $1 billion deal that Disney entered into with OpenAI that created a huge amount of bad blood between Disney and the town’s creative community.

When OpenAI first released Sora last year to the public, users immediately began creating videos that included all sorts of well-known, and Hollywood-owned, IP. That touched off a legal firestorm that ended with OpenAI backtracking and putting guardrails in place to try to prevent IP infringement. So when Disney announced it would be licensing hundreds of its most valuable characters to Sora, much of the industry was aghast. The Writers Guild said the deal appeared to “sanction [OpenAI’s] theft of our work.”

Three months later, Disney now has another problem on its hands — an optics one. Sources tell Page Six Hollywood that with Sora shutting down, the content deal with Disney is dead as is the company’s $1 billion equity investment in Sora. Perhaps even more shocking, P6H hears, is that Disney only found out about OpenAI’s decision very recently. (One source added that Disney and OpenAI didn’t get very far on the licensing part, and no money ever changed hands.)

When it was first announced, the deal was considered precedent-setting as it was the first major partnership between OpenAI and Hollywood. Just last month, Disney was teasing that user-generated videos from Sora were coming to Disney+, and that in spring the OpenAI partnership would really start to make an impact. (Interestingly, D’Amaro didn’t bring up OpenAI during last week’s shareholder meeting even when he answered a question on how Disney views the use of AI.)

The question is how could Disney — not known as a fly by the seat of its pants company — get caught so off guard? Before he became CEO, D’Amaro was instrumental in helping his predecessor Bob Iger land some of Disney’s biggest tech-focused deals. D’Amaro was part of Disney’s $1.5 billion investment into Epic Games, which many believe helped win him the CEO job. When D’Amaro was tapped to succeed Iger, Disney board chairman James Gorman made it a point to namecheck the exec as being involved in the OpenAI deal.
Josh D'Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences, speaks at the grand opening of the Zootopia-themed land at Shanghai Disney Resort.
Josh D’Amaro speaks at the grand opening of the Zootopia-themed land at Shanghai Disney Resort. VCG via Getty Images

Making the timing in this even more curious: On Monday, OpenAI published a blog post on best practices to use Sora safely.

P6H also reported last week, that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was in town holding court at Tower Bar during Oscars weekend as Disney execs Dana Walden and Debra OConnell dined across the room.

Adding to D’Amaro’s woes, the Sora news came hours after Epic laid off over 1,000 employees due to a “downturn in Fortnite engagement.”

Am I missing something? I feel like these aren't "disasters." Challenges, sure, but the "nightmare" Chapel fell into (covid) was very different and decidedly terrible. I feel like the bigger challenge here is the Epic Games one--hopefully he'll learn from that. But it doesn't seem like a disaster to me.

 

[BrianL]

Am I missing something? I feel like these aren't "disasters." Challenges, sure, but the "nightmare" Chapel fell into (covid) was very different and decidedly terrible. I feel like the bigger challenge here is the Epic Games one--hopefully he'll learn from that. But it doesn't seem like a disaster to me.

Yeah, I mean, they didn't actually spend any money on the Sora deal. Heck, considering how it was received, it might even be a GOOD thing.

 

[OKW Lover]

Am I missing something? I feel like these aren't "disasters." Challenges, sure, but the "nightmare" Chapel fell into (covid) was very different and decidedly terrible. I feel like the bigger challenge here is the Epic Games one--hopefully he'll learn from that. But it doesn't seem like a disaster to me.

A good question - I think what people are missing is the opportunity to get into the AI game. It seems like these days a business, any business, has to have an AI presence. If an analyst sees that happening then it's a good stock to invest in. If they think a company is falling behind, then they take their money elsewhere.

 

[RivShore]

Am I missing something? I feel like these aren't "disasters." Challenges, sure, but the "nightmare" Chapel fell into (covid) was very different and decidedly terrible. I feel like the bigger challenge here is the Epic Games one--hopefully he'll learn from that. But it doesn't seem like a disaster to me.

Absolutely, it's just not a great way to start your tenure as CEO, especially given recent history and the way today's media and internet blows all things Disney out of proportion.

And to be honest, covid WDW shutdowns were not the fault of Iger's curse, that was all my fault - after a decade or two of toying with the idea of buying DVC, we finally bought in 2 months before the world shutdown and had to wait nearly 2 years to actually use it. Sorry people!

 

[RivShore]

Yeah, I mean, they didn't actually spend any money on the Sora deal. Heck, considering how it was received, it might even be a GOOD thing.

I happen to agree with that but as I have said on here a few times over the years, the initial decision is yet another thing that calls upper managements judgment into question

 

[AquaDame]

A good question - I think what people are missing is the opportunity to get into the AI game. It seems like these days a business, any business, has to have an AI presence. If an analyst sees that happening then it's a good stock to invest in. If they think a company is falling behind, then they take their money elsewhere.

Which makes me wonder WHY. This feels like going to college in the 00s - you just went because a degree was expected. Did I need my BA to get my job? No, but I /had/ to have it. I work in IT and it was a BA in History. Now young adults know that is bogus and that there is choice - companies look at other credentials as much if not more.

AI is a tool; it will work for some things, and won't for others. It's NOT ready for prime time in a lot of ways. This insistent demand that EVERYONE use it just to say they are is ludicrous. I just had to assign a bunch of licenses this morning to folk for a tool they don't need and don't know how to use because a client wants AI. I've seen two huge flubs with AI in my industry, one even impacted this client directly, and they STILL insist. Usually we adopt new tools naturally as they grow to fit a need. Instead we are wildly looking for ways to make AI make sense in our workflows. It's taking time out of our day and I'm sorry, but it feels totally stupid.

Everyone who is invested just needs the AI money machine to keep whirling. Its the only thing that makes sense about this.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Everyone who is invested just needs the AI money machine to keep whirling. Its the only thing that makes sense about this.

Sounds like growing bubble... hopefully it doesn't burst!

 

[RivShore]

So this ex-exec certainly sounds a little cranky! Lets play a little game and guess who it is...Chapek would be an obvious choice, or maybe our old friend Nelsen. He's probably still bitter but not sure he ever had much interaction with Josh...any other guesses?

Not-so-magic kingdom: Epic Games, Taylor Frankie Paul and OpenAI pose challenges to new Disney CEO in first week on job​

https://nypost.com/2026/03/25/busin...mbarded-with-challenges-in-first-week-on-job/

Disney’s $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games – which was led by D’Amaro, who previously ran the Mouse House’s theme parks, consumer products and games – faced uncertainty as the video game maker axed 1,000 jobs this week after its new Fortnite games flopped with fans.

“Josh got picked [as CEO] on Epic Games and on AI and technology and ‘risk taking’ — which is pretty funny since he has never taken a career risk in his life after 23 years working his way up step by step in parks and resorts,” a former Disney exec told The Post on Wednesday.

“OpenAI and Epic Games are supposedly key to Disney’s future — unless they aren’t — so what is the future?” the source added.

As for what D’Amaro can do to right the ship, the ex-exec said he could “shape and articulate an actual plan besides vague platitudes.”

Disney did not immediately answer a request for comment.