Nate Silver Reveals FiveThirtyEight Has Been Gutted By Disney Layoffs: ‘My Contract is Up Soon and I Expect That I’ll Be Leaving’

Ken MeyerApr 25th, 2023, 1:01 pm

Tanya Moutzalias/The Ann Arbor News-MLive.com Detroit via AP

As Disney’s second wave of layoffs is set to commence, Nate Silver announced that he is among the thousands who will soon be out of a job.

The FiveThirtyEight editor-in-chief confirmed on Tuesday that Disney’s layoffs have “substantially impacted” the polling and analysis organization. He also said he plans to leave Disney once his contract expires.

“I am sad and disappointed to a degree that’s kind of hard to express right now,” Silver tweeted. “My contract is up soon and I expect that I’ll be leaving at the end of it.”

“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.”

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.

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) April 25, 2023

Silver’s tweets were followed by FiveThirtyEight editor Chadwick Matlin’s announcement that he has been laid off:

I've spent 9.5 years at FiveThirtyEight, but won't make it 10. I was laid off today as part of Disney's cuts. My colleagues and I built a website out of nothing, and journalism changed because of it. There are worse legacies.

More reflections to come once things shake out.

— Chadwick Matlin (@ChadwickMatlin) April 25, 2023

Silver warned months ago that FiveThirtyEight was in danger of Disney’s upcoming move to cut down on their costs. Disney has been seeking to cut 7,000 jobs at the company, and their current round of layoffs is also expected to target ESPN, Disney Parks, and other branches of their entertainment division.

FiveThirtyEight will remain under Disney’s ownership after Silver’s departure, and the Hollywood Reporter obtained an ABC News statement on their plans for the outlet while it remains a part of the network.

“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,” the statement said. “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.”