Skydance Offers Voluntary Buyouts to Staff Ahead of Layoffs After $111 Billion Merger

Skydance is offering voluntary buyouts to eligible employees as it works to integrate Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery following the completion of its $111 billion acquisition. CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz informed staff of the change on Monday afternoon, signaling the start of a major restructuring effort across the combined media giant.

The buyout program is tied directly to a new mandatory five-day in-office policy, which will be rolled out gradually across Skydance locations. Employees who are unwilling to comply with the return-to-office requirement are being offered the buyout as an exit option, according to internal communications shared with staff.

The voluntary exits are expected to precede broader, mandatory layoffs as Skydance pursues more than $6 billion in annual cost savings within three years of the deal closing. The company has not disclosed how many employees may be affected by either the buyout program or the anticipated cuts that follow.