Skydance Names Finance Chiefs, Orders Return to Office and Buyouts
WHO:
Variety - Skydance Corp. is the company formed through the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
Variety - David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz, Skydance’s co-CEO, had announced the new company’s senior leadership team.
Fast Company - David Ellison is Skydance’s chairman and CEO; Ynon Kreiz is co-CEO.
Fast Company - The merged company includes Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, along with CBS, CNN, Comedy Central, MTV, TBS, Paramount+, and HBO Max.
Entrepreneur - Staffers at the newly merged Paramount and Warner Bros. were given a choice between returning to the office five days a week and taking a buyout.
WHAT:
Fast Company - Employees selected for Skydance’s buyout program were told: “We recognize that not everyone will see their future here.”
Variety - Skydance established a leadership team to oversee financial operations across the business; the article identifies it as following the merger.
Fast Company - Skydance ordered employees to return to the office full time and offered voluntary buyouts to certain employees.
Fast Company - Employees selected for the buyout program would receive individualized terms and a window to decide whether to accept the one-time offer.
Entrepreneur - Human resources said no second buyout offer would be made.
Fast Company - The merger was valued at $111 billion, and the combined company had almost $90 billion in debt.
Fast Company - Skydance had acknowledged that layoffs would be necessary.
WHERE:
Fast Company - Skydance’s offices are concentrated in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, and London.
WHEN:
Fast Company - The return-to-office mandate was to be phased in over time across office locations.
Entrepreneur - Employees had until Nov. 8 to decide whether to take the buyout or return to the office five days a week.
Fast Company - Skydance said in a memo that integrating the companies would bring workforce changes and difficult decisions.
WHY:
Fast Company - Skydance said on October 6: “Integrating two companies will bring change, including difficult decisions that affect our workforce.”
Fast Company - Ellison and Kreiz said in a staff memo: “We believe in-person collaboration is vital to our culture and to the success of our business.”
Fast Company - They said, “Especially in a creative company like ours, the best ideas come from people in the same room, sharing perspectives, challenging one another, and solving problems.”
HOW:
Fast Company - Paramount-Skydance already required five days a week in the office, while Warner Bros. Discovery required three days.
Fast Company - Skydance planned to phase in the return-to-office requirement across locations.
Fast Company - Skydance said it was committed to handling workforce changes “thoughtfully and respectfully.”
(UPDATED October 28, 2026 22:03 UTC)
Skydance, the company formed by the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger, is requiring employees to return to the office five days a week while offering buyouts to some staff. Employees must decide by Nov.
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(UPDATED October 28, 2026 19:05 UTC)
The newly merged Skydance, led by chairman and CEO David Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz, is requiring employees to return to the office five days a week while offering buyouts to some staff. Employees have until Nov. 8 to choose between the buyout and returning full time, as the company says the merger will bring workforce changes and difficult decisions.