Disney technology executive Aaron LaBerge to leave company for personal reasons

Aaron
LaBerge,
the
chief
technology
officer
for
Disney
Entertainment
and
ESPN,
is
leaving
the
company,
according
to
an
internal
memo.

LaBerge
is
taking
a
job
as
CTO
of


PENN
Entertainment,
which
operates
ESPN
Bet,
the
sports
media
company’s
licensed
online
sportsbook.
He’ll
be
responsible
for
driving
technology
strategy
as
a
top
executive
in
the
company’s
interactive
division.
LaBerge
is
leaving
for
personal
reasons
related
to
his
family
and
will
stay
on
at
Disney
until
June,
the
memo
said.

LaBerge
has
been
a
key
figure
in
developing
Disney’s
streaming
services
and,
more
recently,
integrating
advertising
into
Disney+.
He’s
also
led
efforts
to
unify
Hulu
and
Disney+
within
one
streaming
application,

which
debuted
last
month.

At
ESPN,
LaBerge
has
been
a
central
figure
behind
the
company’s
streaming
services,
including
ESPN+,
the
upcoming
sports
streaming
application
co-owned
by
Disney,
Warner
Bros.
Discovery
and
Fox,
and
ESPN’s
flagship
streaming
service
that
will
launch
in
2025.

His
departure
adds
to
a
growing
list
of
veteran
Disney
executives
who
have
left
the
company
in
recent
years.
They
include
former
CEO
Bob
Chapek,
former
head
of
streaming
Kevin
Mayer,
ex-finance
chief
Christine
McCarthy,
former
Walt
Disney
Studios
Chairman
Alan
Horn,
former
Disney
general
counsel
Alan
Braverman,
ex-head
of
communications
Zenia
Mucha,
and
former
president
of
Walt
Disney
Pictures,
Sean
Bailey.

“We
want to
thank
Aaron
for
the
contributions
he
has
made
and
the
leadership
he
has
provided
at
Disney
over
his
20
years,”
said
ESPN
Chairman
Jimmy
Pitaro
and
Disney
Entertainment
co-Chairmen
Dana
Walden
and
Alan
Bergman
in
an
internal
note
to
employees. “It
is
a
silver
lining
that
he
will
continue
to
help
Disney
and
ESPN
win,
as
he
transitions
to
a
role
at
PENN
Entertainment
—
where
he
will
be
a key
partner
in
the
continued
growth
and
success
of
ESPN
BET
(and
the
rest
of
their
Interactive
business).”

According
to
his
biography,
LaBerge
has
been
responsible
for “helping
set
the
vision
and
strategic
leadership
for
how
the
Company
uses
technology
to
enable
storytelling
and
innovation,
drive
its
business,
and
create
amazing
consumer
experiences
with
entertainment
and
sports
content.”

A
search
for
LaBerge’s
successor
is
already
underway,
according
to
a
person
familiar
with
the
matter,
who
asked
to
remain
anonymous
because
the
transition
plan
is
private.
Chris
Lawson,
currently
Disney’s
executive
vice
president
of
content
operations
and
one
of
LaBerge’s
direct
reports,
will
take
over
LaBerge’s
job
on
an
interim
basis
when
he
departs.

LaBerge
first
joined
Disney
in
the
late
1990s
as
part
of
the
company’s

takeover
of
Starwave,
a
Paul
Allen-founded
company
that
partnered
with
ESPN
before
Disney
fully
acquired
it
it
in
1998.

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