Disney sues YouTube over executive defection amid fears of confidential info leak

Disney files lawsuit to block former executive from joining YouTube, citing breach of contract.

Disney has filed a lawsuit against YouTube in a Los Angeles state court, aiming to stop former executive Justin Connolly from joining the Google-owned platform. The media giant claims Connolly’s move would breach his contract and risk exposing confidential business information.

Connolly, who resigned in May from his role as Disney Entertainment’s President of Platform Distribution, was instrumental in overseeing the company's TV and streaming content deals. According to the complaint, Connolly had signed a contract to remain with Disney until 2027 and was prohibited from engaging with direct competitors — a clause Disney argues YouTube now violates.

As first reported by C21 and Bloomberg, Connolly is poised to take on a senior role at YouTube, managing the platform's media partnerships and live sports expansion. Disney contends that his insider knowledge, especially regarding distribution strategies and financial terms of licensing deals, could give YouTube an unfair advantage.

“Connolly has intimate knowledge of Disney’s other distribution deals, the financial details concerning Disney’s content being licensed to YouTube, and Disney’s negotiation strategies,” said Disney lawyer Kavin Gaut in the complaint. “It would be extremely prejudicial to Disney for Connolly to breach the contract which he negotiated just a few months ago and switch teams when Disney is working on a new licensing deal with the company that is trying to poach him.”

This lawsuit comes at a time when YouTube is dominating digital viewership. In March 2025, the platform accounted for nearly 12% of all TV viewing, surpassing competitors like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+.

As of now, YouTube has not issued a public response to the legal filing.