Disney hands Disney+ and Hulu to a former YouTube executive

Disney named Adam Smith chairman of direct-to-consumer on Sept. 17, giving him full control of Disney+ and Hulu. He spent more than 20 years at Google and YouTube. Six months ago, he was sharing the job with someone else.

Disney just put a Google guy in charge of Disney+.

Adam Smith was named chairman of direct-to-consumer for Disney Entertainment on Sept. 17. The announcement came from Dana Walden, Disney’s president and chief creative officer.

Smith now runs the company’s global streaming business. That covers product, engineering, advertising technology, programming, viewer experience, partnerships, and data for both Disney+ and Hulu.

He has never run a television network.

He spent two decades at YouTube and Google

Smith joined Disney in 2024 as chief product and technology officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN. Before that, he was at Google and YouTube for more than 20 years.

At YouTube, he was vice president of product management. He helped build YouTube Music and Premium past 100 million subscribers. He also led global content and product across kids, sports, news and education, and served as regional head for Asia-Pacific.

At Google, he worked on Google Fiber, Google Books, Google News, Google Finance and Google Scholar.

Before tech, he worked at Random House. He has an MBA from Stanford and a bachelor’s from UC Berkeley.

That’s a product résumé, not a programming one.

The co-presidency lasted six months

Here’s the part that says the most.

Six months ago, Walden named Smith and Joe Earley co-presidents of direct-to-consumer, both reporting to her. Splitting the job between a technologist and a media executive looked like a deliberate balance.

That balance is gone.

Smith is now sole leader. Earley is moving to a newly created role as president of Disney Entertainment Television franchise and content strategy, reporting to Debra OConnell.

“Joe has been an exceptional leader for our direct-to-consumer business over the past four years, and I am deeply grateful for his partnership and meaningful contributions,” Walden said. She called him a talented executive with “a rare combination of business acumen and creative instincts.”

A third executive is leaving entirely

Eric Schrier is leaving his post as head of direct-to-consumer international originals, strategic programming and emerging media. OConnell announced it in a memo to staff late Thursday.

Schrier is not going far. He’s moving into a producing partnership with Disney Entertainment Television.

He had been in that DTC role only since early 2026. Before that, he was president of Disney Television Studios and Business Operations, and before that he spent more than two decades at FX, eventually running it as president of FX Entertainment.

So Disney’s streaming division lost a co-president and its international originals chief in the same announcement.

A tech executive now makes content calls

Smith’s job description includes programming. That means decisions about what gets made and what gets bought, sitting alongside engineering and ad technology under one person whose entire career was built on products rather than shows.

Streaming services have gone this direction before. Netflix runs on recommendation algorithms. YouTube is a product company that happens to host video. Disney is now betting that Disney+ works more like those than like a traditional network.

It’s a real bet. Disney’s whole identity rests on storytelling, and the person now steering its biggest storytelling platform came up building subscription tiers and search tools.

His track record at Disney is mixed

Smith has two years.

The launch of ESPN’s expanded streaming service happened under his technology leadership, and it’s generally been viewed as a success a year in.

However, the first livestream of the Oscars on Hulu in 2025 crashed, an embarrassing failure on one of the most-watched nights of the year. Disney fixed it for the 2026 telecast.

Why Disney wants this now

CEO Josh D’Amaro has made Disney+ a central focus since taking over.

He has talked repeatedly about expanding what the service can do and connecting it to Disney’s parks and experiences business. The company recently launched a Fortnite island tied to an actual ride at two of its parks, and it has been exploring a free ad-supported tier.

Disney+ is the streaming home for Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, plus The Simpsons, and Hulu content outside the U.S.

Whoever runs it is running one of the most valuable content libraries in the world. Starting now, that’s a guy from YouTube.

Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.

Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Hat Tips:

• The Walt Disney Company (Sept. 17, 2026), the official announcement, Smith’s responsibilities, Earley’s new role and the Dana Walden quotes

• Deadline (Sept. 17, 2026), Nellie Andreeva’s reporting on the six-month co-presidency, the ESPN streaming launch and the 2025 Oscars livestream failure

• The Hollywood Reporter (Sept. 17, 2026), the full scope of Smith’s oversight and the OConnell memo announcing Eric Schrier’s exit

• Variety (Sept. 17, 2026), Schrier’s producing deal and his FX and Disney Television Studios background

• Wikipedia (retrieved Sept. 18, 2026), Smith’s YouTube and Google roles, his education and his September 2024 Disney start date

• Los Angeles Times (Sept. 17, 2026), the report that surfaced this coverage

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