Disney is encouraging employees across its streaming division to make greater use of artificial intelligence as part of a broader effort to improve productivity and accelerate the pace of development.
According to two senior technology employees, streaming leaders have recently been emphasizing the importance of increasing "velocity" — a term commonly used in software development to describe the speed at which teams can deliver products, features, and improvements.
"The No. 1 thing is to increase velocity," one senior employee focused on AI initiatives said, describing the message being communicated by leadership.
However, Disney executives have also cautioned employees against using AI inefficiently. During a recent meeting, Andre Rohe, Disney's Executive Vice President of Product Engineering, reportedly warned staff not to engage in what he called "tokenmaxxing."
The term refers to maximizing AI token consumption — the units of text processed by AI models — regardless of whether the additional usage actually improves productivity or outcomes. In other words, Disney wants employees to use AI strategically to work smarter and faster, rather than simply relying on AI tools more frequently or generating unnecessary costs.
The message reflects a growing trend among major technology and media companies that are increasingly integrating AI into everyday workflows while also paying close attention to the financial and operational costs associated with large-scale AI adoption.
One software engineer who attended the meeting said the overall takeaway from streaming leadership was clear: employees are expected to embrace AI to boost output and efficiency, but they should remain focused on measurable results rather than maximizing AI usage for its own sake.