Disney and ESPN Chief Technology Officer AARON LABERGE is leaving the company, according to source cited by Alex Sherman of CNBC.com. He is taking a job as CTO of Penn Entertainment, which operates ESPN Bet, the sports media company’s licensed online sportsbook. He will be “responsible for driving technology strategy as a top executive in the company’s interactive division.” LaBerge will stay on at Disney until June. LaBerge, who was a nominee for Technology Executive of the Year at this year's Sports Business Awards: Tech, has been a "key figure" in developing Disney’s streaming services and, more recently, integrating advertising into Disney+. He has also "led efforts to unify Hulu and Disney+." 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 (CNBC.com, 4/22). In a note to Disney staff Monday, LaBerge said that he made a “personal decision” to leave the company to devote more time to his family as they go through a challenging period. He will start as Penn Entertainment’s CTO effective July 1 and report directly to Penn CEO and President JAY SNOWDEN (VARIETY, 4/22).
