Rehmat JamalMay 19, 2023
Lauren Weinstein

BREAKING: #Disney kills billion dollar development plan in Florida

Disney Imagineering move to Florida from L.A. area has apparently been canceled, and team members already moved or planning to move are being offered opportunity to return to L.A. This will be very good news to most of these employees.

May 18, 2023 at 6:29pmWeb
Show threadMatt BlazeMay 18, 2023

@lauren Very interesting.

(Canceling the move probably makes sense even for reasons having nothing to do with DeSantis. Imagineering seems to draw heavily on the talent pool in LA/Hollywood, far more so than FL).

Show threadLauren WeinsteinMay 18, 2023
@mattblaze They were losing key employees who didn't want to go, as you'd expect.
Show threadChoong NgMay 18, 2023
@lauren @mattblaze Putting an office there more or less means they can't hire anyone trans or who has a trans member of their family, similar restriction on visiting vendors, and on top of that with the RTO push employees with a big tech spouse will be looking at sacrificing significant income when they get a local FL job. Seems like a lot of trouble with no payoff other than maybe better Cuban food.
Show threadMatt BlazeMay 18, 2023
@choong @lauren Absolutely. There are significant current and potential staff who just can’t safely live there, and plenty more who would be simply unwilling to do so. That’s reason enough, but I’m just saying even without the political factors, the move made little sense. Imagineering draws heavily on the creative and craft talent native to the LA area film industry, which just isn’t in FL to nearly the same degree.
Show threadLauren WeinsteinMay 18, 2023
@mattblaze @choong Also, too humid.
Show threadChoong NgMay 18, 2023
@mattblaze @lauren Oh that makes sense. I don't know much about how they operate other than the few bits in Randy Pausch's talks that made it sound cool and technically interesting.
Show threadGodfrey642May 18, 2023
@mattblaze @choong @lauren Id be winding down Disney World too.
Show threadThe Actual BrianMay 19, 2023

@Godfrey642 @mattblaze @choong @lauren
The one issue with that is finding a place on that side of the country with year round, nice weather that isn't dominated by ignorant fascists.

They should be making the effort, though.
Shutting down Florida by pulling out would cause a mass exodus and destroy their Electoral significance.

Show threadGodfrey642May 19, 2023
@TheActualBrian @mattblaze @choong @lauren
Exactly.
Is there anywhere else in sunny south that's less fascist than Florida?
Show threadThe Actual BrianMay 20, 2023

@Godfrey642 @mattblaze @choong @lauren
Yeah, looks like the best bet is...

Mexico. 🤦

Show threadGodfrey642May 20, 2023
@TheActualBrian @mattblaze @choong @lauren
Cuba 💕
Show threadThe Actual BrianMay 21, 2023

@Godfrey642 @mattblaze @choong @lauren

Wow!
Who would have thought? You're right.

Cuba is more progressive than Florida.

Show threadNoah GibbsMay 19, 2023

@mattblaze @choong @lauren True. But Disney can often defy gravity, because they're unbeatable prestige with good salaries. A *lot* of people are genuinely proud to work for Disney.

Looks like this is one where they thought they could do that, and then discovered just how powerful the local gravity was.

Show threadBroken TrolandMay 18, 2023
@choong @lauren @mattblaze Every company operating or thinking of operating in these states should be doing that same calculus. You're cutting yourself off from an increasingly large talent pool - not just of trans people, but all LGBT, women and minorities.
Show threadquixoteMay 18, 2023

@brandonlivesin @choong @lauren @mattblaze Plus any male doctors who don't want to be in a situation where they can't help a dying female patient. Or who don't want to endanger their female relatives by moving to such a place.

Pretty soon, you're up to 80% of everybody!

Show threadThe Actual BrianMay 19, 2023

@quixote @brandonlivesin @choong @lauren @mattblaze
Doctors are already fleeing Texas.

The Dell Children's medical center in Austin is completely without doctors.
They all just left.

Show threadWoolfhoundMay 19, 2023
@brandonlivesin @choong @lauren @mattblaze or just sensible people. I have a colleague who’s planning to leave Austin after many years there because he and his wife are now expecting their first kid and don’t want to raise a kid in Texas.
Show threadspafMay 18, 2023
@mattblaze @lauren
Even so, tying it to the FL political turmoil serves multiple purposes.
Show threadlord pthenq1May 18, 2023
@lauren
Hahahahaha 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Show threadIncredibishMay 18, 2023
@lauren The Mouse that Roared.
Show threadLauren WeinsteinMay 18, 2023
@incredibish I'm doubting Disney will build in Grand Fenwick, however.
Show threadThe Long TailMay 19, 2023
@lauren @incredibish thank God
Show threadGodfrey642May 18, 2023

@lauren This is kind of bigger than just Disney. It means that potentially any company who has a non-bullying OHS policy which supports #diversity is potentially under threat from DeSantis state politics.

This is a minefield. Today the focus is specifically #trans and #LGBTQI+ but could go into any/all areas of #discrimination once the RW gets revved up. Where does this stop?

Show threadMichael Lombardi-NashMay 21, 2023
@Godfrey642 to answer your question: when democrats get off their duffs in the midterms and vote
Show threadAllen StenhausMay 19, 2023
@lauren While I know it's just Disney doing what's most profitable, I still didn't see Disney subtly standing up for LGBT rights in the year 2023.
Show threadLauren WeinsteinMay 19, 2023
@allenstenhaus I always wonder why some people look for bad even in good news.
Show threadAllen StenhausMay 19, 2023

@lauren If you're referencing the first part of my statement, it was my attempt to preemptively prevent a disagreement from people who might think I'm some corporate shill. Unfortunately, by trying to prevent that from happening, I'm receiving negativity from another direction.

Maybe I shouldn't have felt the need to use a preemptive statement like that, but I've been burned so many times by not doing that that it's become a habit. Sadly it only reduces conflict. It doesn't prevent it outright.

Show threadLauren WeinsteinMay 19, 2023
@allenstenhaus A common dilemma on social media, reaching back to the dim days of Usenet and BBS systems.
Show threadAllen StenhausMay 19, 2023
@lauren Oof... I've been on the internet far too long. 😔
Show threadSamhain NightMay 19, 2023
@allenstenhaus @lauren A lot of animators are LGBTQ and they have a union. Disney has to support LGBTQ issues at least somewhat or they’ll lose a significant chunk of their creative teams
Show threadAnnietimeMay 19, 2023
@lauren that’s fantastic. At this point, I can’t imagine anyone who would want to leave CA for fascist Florida.
Show threadOld Man MikeMay 19, 2023
@lauren Wow that’s great Governoring by DeSantis, chase away the LARGEST employer in Florida, #Slowclap