About a quarter of Lyft’s workforce will be impacted by cuts

Pulte Capital CEO Bill Pulte discusses how the Trump indictment could affect the economy and job market on ‘Cavuto: Coast to Coast.’

A slew of companies revealed this week they plan to trim their headcounts.

Disney’s second round of layoffs commenced Monday, with Reuters reporting some 4,000 people getting let go across this and the prior round in late March. A third will take place “before the beginning of the summer” that will complete the 7,000 cuts Disney announced in February, according to a memo from CEO Bob Iger.

Meanwhile, Amazon’s cloud computing and human resources divisions on Wednesday faced layoffs after the company in March revealed plans for 9,000 more cuts. The e-commerce giant is shrinking its employee count by 27,000 overall this year.

Several other companies announced layoffs this week.

Lyft

About a quarter of Lyft’s workforce will be impacted by the latest job cuts, the ride-share company announced Thursday.

The operating costs savings that Lyft expects from the 1,072 layoffs and restructuring efforts will be directed toward “continued service-level improvements benefitting riders and drivers,” according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In this photo illustration the Lyft logo is seen displayed on a smartphone. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The cuts were foreshadowed last week in a staff-wide email from new Lyft CEO David Risher, who had said the company needed to be a “faster, flatter” one where “everyone is closer to our riders and drivers.”

More than 250 job openings were also eliminated as another cost-cutting step, according to Lyft.

Dropbox

Dropbox’s global workforce will see its numbers trimmed by 500, a development CEO Drew Houston revealed in a Thursday blog post. Impacted employees, roughly 16%, received notification the same day.

The “natural maturation” of Dropbox’s existing businesses and “headwinds from the economic downturn” have had an impact on the cloud storage company’s growth, a factor Houston said prompted the layoffs, FOX Business reported.

He also said the company’s “next stage of growth” necessitates a “different mix of skill sets, particularly in AI [artificial intelligence] and early-stage product development.” Dropbox moved people to different teams “wherever possible” as it works to boost its AI efforts, according to his blog post.

First Republic

First Republic, a bank impacted by the recent banking crisis, indicated Monday it will do layoffs, intending to eliminate 20-25%.

The regional lender reported having a total of over 7,200 full-time equivalent employees at the end of last year. That figure also counted temporary workers and contractors, it said.

A person walks past a First Republic bank branch in Manhattan on April 24, 2023 in New York City. The U.S. bank will reveal its latest financial results but concerns over small and medium-sized banks persist following the collapse of Silicon Valley B (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images / Getty Images)

First Republic said it was working to “increase insured deposits, reduce borrowings from the Federal Reserve Bank and decrease loan balances to correspond with the reduced reliance on uninsured deposits” on top of the layoffs and other cost-cutting measures.

Gap

About 1,800 workers belonging to Gap Inc.’s headquarters and upper field workforce will lose their jobs, Gap said Thursday. Within fiscal 2023’s first half, those layoffs and related actions are expected to have largely occurred.

“We are taking the necessary actions to reshape Gap Inc. for the future – simplifying and optimizing our operating model, elevating creativity, and driving better delivery in every dimension of the customer experience,” Interim CEO Bob Martin said in a statement. “These changes include the consistent brand leadership structures we announced last month aimed at flattening the organizational structure to improve the quality and speed of decision-making, while in turn reducing overhead expense.”

A basket of flowers hangs near Gap Inc’s flagship retail store at the Powell Street cable car turn in San Francisco Aug. 20, 2009. (REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/File Photo / Reuters)

Gap is aiming to save about $300 million with its efforts.

Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank CEO Christina Sewing told analysts and investors Thursday the bank “will begin to reduce our senior non-client-facing workforce by 5%” and will “limit new hiring” for such jobs. Both of those “right-sizing” moves, he said, would start in the second quarter.

3M

In an effort to make 3M “stronger, leaner and more focused,” the company will shrink its total number of employees by 6,000. The multinational conglomerate revealed its plan involving the cuts as it reported its first-quarter earnings Tuesday.

In prior layoffs in January, 2,500 people in manufacturing roles lost their jobs, as previously reported by FOX Business.

Tyson Foods

On Wednesday, Tyson Foods joined the group of companies announcing layoffs this week, with the Arkansas-based firm reportedly planning to cut some senior leadership and corporate jobs. It previously said in March it was slashing 1,700 positions in connection to the closure of a pair of chicken plants.

Reuters reported that for senior leadership, the newly-revealed reductions will affect 15%, while the share for corporate positions impacted will come in at 10%.

FOX Business reached out to Tyson Foods for comment.

Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.

The Walt Disney Co., amid its feud with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, invoked King Charles III in its attempt to stifle efforts by the Republican governor to strip the company of its self-governance power in the state.

In February, after nearly a year of lawmakers working to dissolve Disney’s special tax district, DeSantis signed a bill into law that ends Disney’s self-governing power and puts the media giant under the control of a state board. The same month, in the hours before the Florida House of Representatives approved a state takeover, the board — still under control of Disney-allied appointees at the time — transferred many duties of the special district over to Disney’s control.

According to developer agreements signed into effect Feb. 8, the same day the Florida House passed legislation to control aspects of Disney’s land, the Reedy Creek Improvement District transferred most of its power to Disney for the next 30 years.

The agreement — which gives Disney the ability to no longer seek board approval to construct complex projects or buildings at certain heights, as well as sell or assign development rights — used a royal clause dating back to 1692 in Great Britain.

WAR OVER THE CORPORATE KINGDOM: DESANTIS’ NEW BOARD SPARS FOR CONTROL WITH DISNEY

The Walt Disney Co. — amid its feud with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — invoked a legal royal clause in its attempt to stifle efforts by the governor to strip the company of its self-governance power in the state. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC, Scott Olson via Getty Images)

“[This] Declaration shall continue in effect until 21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, King of England, living as of the date of this declaration,” the document stated, referencing language used most often in the United Kingdom.

“So, as long as one of those grandchildren makes it 80, this clause would be there for 100 years,” said Robert Lord, senior advisor on tax policy at progressive group Patriotic Millionaires, according to NBC News.

They (Disney) may think they have checkmate, but the chess match has just begun!

The agreement featuring the clause went into effect prior to Feb. 27, when DeSantis replaced the Disney-allied board members with Republicans. The moves were not widely discussed until a meeting of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board (CFTOB), formerly known as the Reedy Creek Special District.

“This essentially makes Disney the government,” Ron Peri, a newly-appointed member of the CFTOB, said at a Feb. 27 meeting. “This board loses, for practical purposes, the majority of its ability to do anything beyond maintain the roads and maintain basic infrastructure.”

DESANTIS SIGNS BILL REVOKING DISNEY’S SELF-GOVERNING POWER

The previous board that oversaw aspects of Disney World approved a series of agreements that gave the corporate giant a wide range of control. (Getty Images for Disney Dreamers Academy)

New board member Brian Aungst Jr. also took issue with the agreement, considering it “void” after it was “passed the same day the Florida House passed the bill creating this board, and it was done to prevent us from doing our job.”

“That is offensive to me,” Aungst Jr. said.

“The Executive Office of the Governor is aware of Disney’s last-ditch efforts to execute contracts just before ratifying the new law that transfers rights and authorities from the former Reedy Creek Improvement District to Disney,” said Taryn Fenske, a spokesperson for the governor’s office.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law in February that ends Disney’s self-governing power and puts the media giant under the control of a state board. (Kathryn Gamble/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The governor was not aware of the agreements made by the former board before putting his stamp on the new district, according DeSantis’ office. However, they were passed by the board during a public meeting that included public hearings.

“An initial review suggests these agreements may have significant legal infirmities that would render the contracts void as a matter of law,” Fenske said. “We are pleased the new Governor-appointed board retained multiple financial and legal firms to conduct audits and investigate Disney’s past behavior.” source

Disney show argues that America ‘owes’ black Americans because the country ‘still has not atoned for’ its systemic prejudice, racism and white supremacy.

LOOK AT THIS CRAP DISNEY IS SCHILLING. REPERATIONS? 1 WORD FOR THAT! Indians!
now please shut up and go about living and dealing with pasts that did not affect you as an individual, quit being weak, represent strength! Have some dignity!

A reboot of the Disney show “The Proud Family” is receiving backlash over a rap in a recent episode of the cartoon featuring kids singing about slavery and reparations, arguing that America “owes” black Americans because America “still has not atoned for” its systemic prejudice, racism and White supremacy.

“This country was built on slavery, which means slaves built this country,” the song repeatedly stated in the Disney+ episode of “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder,” which reviewed the history of Juneteenth.

“The descendants of slaves continue to build it, slaves built this country and we the descendants of slaves in America have earned reparations for their suffering and continue to earn reparations every moment we spend submerged in a systemic prejudice, racism and white supremacy that America was founded with and still has not atoned for,” the children chanted.

“We made your families rich,” the sound continues. “From the southern plantation heirs to the northern bankers to the New England ship owners, the founding fathers, former presidents, current senators, the Illuminati, the New World Order.”

Manhattan Institute fellow Christ Rufo shared a clip of the episode on Twitter, calling it “pure critical race theory.” The song also promoted the idea that President Abraham Lincoln did not actually free the slaves.

“We had Tubman, Turner, Frederick D, then they say Lincoln freed the slaves, but slaves were men and women, and only we can free ourselves,” the song stated. “Emancipation is not freedom. Jim Crow, segregation, redlining, public schools feeding private prisons where we become slaves again.”

“Blatant anti-white propaganda,” tweeted popular Twitter account End Wokeness.

The executive producer of the show, Latoya Raveneau, admitted to having a “not-at-all secret gay agenda” in a Disney staff meeting when producing the show, according to a clip shared by Rufo.

“Our leadership over there has been so welcoming to my not-at-all secret gay agenda,” Raveneau said. “All that momentum that I felt, like that sense of I don’t have to be afraid, to like, let’s have these two characters kiss … I was just, wherever I could, adding queerness.”

“No one would stop me and no one was trying to stop me,” she said.

Disney Accused of Pushing ‘We Love Satan’ in Tim Allen’s ‘The Santa Clauses’

Disney and their Many ‘satanic agenda’s’ 

Actor Tim Allen’s “The Santa Clauses” on Disney+ has faced an array of press coverage, with some deriding the series and others supporting it. The latest hoopla centers on a brief reference to Satan.  For those paying attention, the series has been fodder for a steady stream of news coverage and reaction. To begin, the 69-year-old Allen recently sparked headlines after stating the show will address religion and pay homage to the Christian history of Christmas.

That came after a separate controversy over a line his Santa character uttered about saying “Merry Christmas.”

But the latest drama surrounds a quick and fleeting reference to Satan seen in the third episode of “The Santa Clauses.” The central claim by some upset over the inclusion is that Disney pushed a “We love Satan” sentiment in the series. The assertion centers on a scene in which elves are bidding Santa farewell. Each elf holds a letter, with the collective intending to spell the words, “We love you, Santa.” But when some of the elves end up in the wrong formation, the line briefly says, “We love you, Satan.” Santa sees the word and corrects the elves, proclaiming, “Spelling.” They then freak out and fix their formation, delivering the “We love you, Santa” message they intended. Allen’s character, Santa, then gives them a thumbs up. That’s the moment Disney turned even closer to Satan

Fact-checkers believe the outrage is based on an complete understanding of the scene, as some of the critiques appear to ignore both Santa correcting their error and their horror. “In the complete context that is not missing as WE included the VIDEO! This is clearly NOT a joke for anyone much less a FAMILY MOVIE about CHRISTMAS which is ABOUT the birth of JESUS CHRIST!   a tasteless joke that jokes about SATAN in a KIDS MOVIE is PROMOTING the SEED of his NAME in their HEAD” they MOVIE MAKERS are giving an ODE TO SATAN !  Good people teach children good things and don’t joke about bad. Want me to joke about THE NIGHT STALKER at CHRISTMAS DINNER? Evil is Evil it is not to be joked about aint nothing funny

The disastrous opening weekend for Disney’s boundary-pushing “Strange World” reanimated predictions of dire financial consequences over the studio’s embrace of a progressive agenda in children’s entertainment.

“Strange World,” which features a gay teen romance involving the main character, an environmental message and no princesses, came in well below projections, grossing $11.9 million over the three-day weekend and $18.6 million over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday.

Given the film’s reported $180 million budget, the Hollywood press ripped “Strange World” as not just a dud but a “historic bomb,” as The Wrap put it. Variety projected that the flick could lose as much as $100 million.

The reaction from the right was similarly scathing. “Get woke and go broke! Shame on @Disney for producing this garbage in the first place!” tweeted former Republican House candidate Mario Fratto.

Said Canadian podcaster Jordan B. Peterson: “Thank the stars above for the free market.”

Ryan Bomberger, founder of the pro-life Radiance Foundation, tweeted: “What a #StrangeWorld where Disney offers families a crap film at the box office. They combine a terrible woke storyline w/ teenage boys who sexually pant for each other. No thanks @Disney.”

The film’s poor reception contributed to the perception of wokeness-run-amok at Disney, which was criticized for the lesbian kiss scene in “Lightyear,” a $200 million animated feature released in June that has grossed $115 million domestically, according to BombReport.

Last week, Disney rehired Bob Iger to replace CEO Bob Chapek, who landed the company in a feud with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the state law barring instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3.

Defending “Strange World” were LGBTQ advocates who blamed the film’s poor showing on Disney’s lackluster marketing campaign. Others argued that many Disney fans are likely waiting for the movie to appear on the Disney+ streaming service.

“I’ve been to the movie theater over 100 times this year and I didn’t see a single trailer for Strange World,” tweeted adult cartoonist Adam Ellis. “They do it on purpose. They intentionally bury it so they can say ‘See? Nobody wants to see movies like this.’ Maybe they would if the studio promoted it.”

Conservative film critic Christian Toto, who runs the Hollywood in Toto website, said the movie tanked for a variety of reasons.

“I think you can point to several factors for ‘Strange World’s’ disastrous opening. Let’s start with the title, which is utterly bland. It’s an original story, something that often doesn’t click with audiences weaned on sequels, prequels and reboots,” Mr. Toto said in an email.

“The film’s gay storyline got plenty of online attention, and some parents are exhausted by the messaging in modern Disney fare. It’s always hard to pinpoint how much of a factor this proves to be, but it clearly didn’t help at the box office,” he said.

Then there’s the quality of the film itself. Audiences on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 64% approval rating, below the 74% from reviewers. CinemaScore gave the picture a “B,” a low mark for a major Disney release.

cited  https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/nov/29/ultra-woke-strange-world-reanimates-disney-critici/

“Little Demon,” a new animated show about a woman who mates with Satan and produces the Antichrist, is raising eyebrows and making cultural waves.

But amid the cacophony of frustrated retorts to the show — which airs on the Disney-owned network FXX and stars Danny DeVito as Satan — faith leaders and media experts are sounding some consequential theological and practical alarms for parents and children alike.

I … can’t believe that this show exists,” Mike Signorelli, senior pastor of V1 Church in New York City, told CBN’s Faithwire. “I think if we could go back 30 years … everybody would universally be shocked and appalled.”

DISTURBING STORYLINES

Signorelli isn’t exaggerating the situation, as the promotional language for “Little Demon” alone showcases the disturbing themes and images embedded in the show — violence, paganism, and satanic storylines cloaked in attempted comedy.

“Thirteen years after being impregnated by Satan, a reluctant mother, Laura, and her Antichrist daughter, Chrissy, attempt to live an ordinary life in Delaware but are constantly thwarted by monstrous forces, including Satan, who yearns for custody of his daughter’s soul,” reads the show’s description.

Signorelli said “Little Demon” is the fulfillment of what happens when morals and ethics slowly erode and decay, sending culture on a slippery slope that tragically yields such a strange moment.

“What happens is, things incrementally change year over year to where you can accept what you would have never accepted in a previous generation,” he said. “As a Christian, I believe that the enemy is after our children. We wrestle not against flesh and blood but principalities powers and rulers in high places.”

Considering the purported paganistic themes in “Little Demon,” one of the quotes about the series that is circulating comes from actress Aubrey Plaza, who plays Laura.

“I love that we are normalizing paganism,” Plaza said while speaking about the show during an event this summer. “Laura is a pagan. She’s a witch. She’s jacked.”

CULTURE’S PRECARIOUS PLACE

Dr. Ted Baehr, a Hollywood mainstay and the founder of Movieguide, an organization that helps families navigate entertainment content, said he’s neither stunned by the airing of “Little Demon” nor is he surprised by the show’s controversial themes, especially considering culture’s precarious standing.

“Seeing this show is … not surprising,” he told CBN’s Faithwire while discussing the disturbing elements and themes. “This is the direction that our culture is going in.”

Despite “Little Demon” airing on FXX, a Disney-owned outlet purportedly targeting 18 to 34-year-olds, the animated series’ edgy language and themes — and the fact it’s a cartoon — could attract much younger viewers curious about the subject matter.

Beyond that, there’s the peculiar inclusion of one of the main characters — the devil’s daughter — who is a young teen, a seemingly strange element for a show purporting to target adults.

“We all know that children want to watch what they’re not supposed to watch,” Signorelli said.

OTHER REACTIONS

Signorelli and Baehr are just two Christians speaking out, though reaction has also moved into the political realm. One Million Moms (OMM), an advocacy group, issued an “urgent warning for parents” over the series, proclaiming, “Disney has taken yet another dangerous step into the darkness.”

“Along with other Disney-associated productions such as ‘Maleficent,’ ‘Star vs. the Forces of Evil,’ and ‘The Owl House,’ this new adult cartoon series, ‘Little Demon,’ is also set in a spiritually demonic realm,” the organization wrote in its warning.

OMM continued, “Disney is introducing viewers, including children who might stumble across this series, to a world of demons, witches, and sorcery. Along with the demonic content of this series, the minds of younger viewers will also be inundated with secular worldviews that reflect the current culture.”

A petition created by the OMM had over 24,000 signatures as of Wednesday morning.

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) is among others who have spoken out against “Little Demon” as well.

The congressman published a Sept. 5 Facebook post calling an ad for the show “disturbing” and describing how he rushed to shield his 11-year-old from the preview when it came on during a recent LSU-Florida State game.

“I could write volumes this morning and unpack pages of Bible verses here, but instead, I’m just going to state the obvious: Please be careful. Our job as parents is to guard the hearts and minds of our kids,” Johnson wrote. “This culture has become alarmingly dark and desensitized, and this is not a game. Disney and FX have decided to embrace and market what is clearly evil. STAY FAR FROM IT.”

He also cited 1 Peter 5:8, which reads, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

Johnson wrote a follow-up post Tuesday defending his original comments and emphasizing the importance of speaking the “truth in love,” a calling Christians see rooted in Ephesians 4:15.

The congressman said it’s essential to utter such truths “even — and sometimes most importantly — when it may not be popular.”

Johnson’s words ring true as parents grapple with how to handle shows like “Little Demon.”

PARENTAL DILIGENCE

Parents concerned over shows like “Little Demon” must be diligent, especially as society continues to embrace and infuse occultic and satanic themes into the mainstream.

“The whole culture is in the midst of a satanic revolution — if you want to put it in those terms,” Baehr said, going on to encourage parents to be proactive in monitoring kids’ entertainment consumption.

“We just need to teach them to have the right values to understand they’re not going to get self-esteem by becoming a satanist,” he said.

Baehr also lamented the “big problem” parents face today, as the average child will be inundated with tens of thousands of hours of entertainment by the time they reach the latter teen years.

He encouraged moms and dads to be diligent and to teach discernment early on.

“Parents are overwhelmed, they’re working, they’re tired,” he said, noting moms and dads need to train young people to be wise and perceptive even when parents aren’t around. “You have to teach the teenager or any age child … to be media-wise.”

Pray for our culture amid the onslaught of such dark themes.

https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/entertainment/2022/september/a-satanic-revolution-major-warnings-as-disney-owned-network-releases-disturbing-little-demon-cartoon