FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver ‘expects’ to depart ABC News as The Walt Disney Company looks to eliminate 7,000 jobs in a cost-saving measure.
In a series of tweets, Silver claims that the staff at FiveThirtyEight has been greatly affected by the cuts.
“Disney layoffs have substantially impacted FiveThirtyEight. I am sad and disappointed to a degree that’s kind of hard to express right now. We’ve been at Disney almost 10 years. My contract is up soon and I expect that I’ll be leaving at the end of it,” admitted Silver on Twitter.
“I had been worried about an outcome like this and so have had some great initial conversations about opportunities elsewhere. Don’t hesitate to get in touch. I am so proud of the work of FiveThirtyEight staff. It has never been easy. I’m so sorry to the people impacted by this.”
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, ABC News will keep the FiveThirtyEight brand, and has plans to streamline the site.
“ABC News remains dedicated to data journalism with a core focus on politics, the economy and enterprise reporting — this streamlined structure will allow us to be more closely aligned with our priorities for the 2024 election and beyond,” an ABC News spokesperson said in a statement. “We are grateful for the invaluable contributions of the team members who will be departing the organization and know they will continue to make an important impact on the future of journalism.”
ABC News saw several senior executives depart the company as part of the cuts last month. In total, The Walt Disney Company hopes to save $5.5 billion in the cuts.
