The Walt Disney Company logo is displayed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during the morning session of December 1, 2023.
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Aaron LaBerge, chief technology officer of Disney Entertainment and ESPN, is leaving the company, according to an internal memo.
LaBerge accepts the position of CTO of Penn Entertainment, which operates ESPN Bet, the sports media company’s licensed online sports betting site. He will be responsible for driving Penn’s technology strategy as a senior executive in the company’s interactive division. LaBerge is leaving for personal reasons related to his family and will remain at Disney until June, the memo said.
LaBerge played a key role in the development of Disney’s streaming services and, more recently, the integration of advertising into Disney+. He also led efforts to unify Hulu and Disney+ into a single streaming app, which debuted last month.
At ESPN, LaBerge has been a central figure behind the company’s streaming services, including ESPN+, the upcoming sports streaming app co-owned by Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox, and ESPN’s flagship streaming service launching in 2025.
His departure joins a growing list of veteran Disney executives who have left the company in recent years. They include former CEO Bob Chapek, former streaming chief Kevin Mayer, former CFO Christine McCarthy, former Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn, former Disney general counsel Alan Braverman, former -communications executive Zenia Mucha and former Walt Disney Pictures chairman Sean Bailey.
“We want to thank Aaron for the contributions he has made and the leadership he has provided at Disney during his 20 years,” said Jimmy Pitaro, president of ESPN, and Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, co-chairmen of Disney Entertainment, in an internal memo to employees. “It’s a beacon of hope that he continues to help Disney and ESPN win, as he transitions into 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 activity).
According to his bio, LaBerge was tasked with “helping define 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 replacement 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 executive vice president of content operations at Disney and one of LaBerge’s direct reports, will take over LaBerge’s position on an interim basis following his departure.
LaBerge first joined Disney in the late 1990s as part of the company’s purchase of Starwave, a company founded by Paul Allen that partnered with ESPN before Disney acquired it entirely in 1998.
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