disney One of its top streaming executives has a lot to say.
Aaron LaBerge, chief technology officer of Disney Entertainment and ESPN, will leave at the end of June to become CTO of Penn Entertainment, the gambling company that has partnered with Disney on the ESPN Bet sports betting platform.
According to a memo to employees Monday from Disney Entertainment heads Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, as well as ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro, the move was a “personal decision” and they will begin the search for a new CTO with Chris Lawson. Have been. in the interim.
At Penn, LaBerge will be tasked with leading technology and execution for the company’s digital efforts, including the new ESPN Bet platform. pen ESPN Bets announced Last year a deal worth $2 billion was signed with ESPN.
“We are thrilled to have someone like Aaron join our Penn executive team,” said Penn CEO Jay Snowden. “After overseeing a global organization of thousands of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists and data scientists that built the largest and most successful media properties in the world, I am excited to lead our Technology and Interactive division. There is no better candidate. Its future.”
Still, LaBarge’s departure comes at a critical moment for Disney, which is integrating Hulu into Disney+ and also developing a direct-to-consumer offering for ESPN, both of which the executive was closely involved in.
You can read the memo from Walden, Bergman and Pitaro below.
We wanted to share the news below about Aaron LaBerge leaving Disney in June. As Aaron explained, this was a personal decision – one that we have discussed with him and supported him in understanding and making it.
We want to thank Aaron for his contributions to Disney over 20 years and the leadership he has provided. It’s a ray of hope that he’ll continue to help Disney and ESPN win, as he transitions into a role at Penn Entertainment – where he’ll be a key player in the continued growth and success of ESPN BET (and the rest of their interactive business). Will be important partners. ,
As Aaron said, we have an incredibly talented team, and our work to identify permanent technology leadership is already underway, with Chris Lawson assuming interim oversight. Chris is a fantastic leader who will ensure we maintain our momentum on the great progress we have already achieved. We look forward to working with Aaron and Chris during this transition as we continue to focus on the bright future of our media businesses.
Alan, Dana, and Jimmy
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