Inside Paramount, employees say they have bigger concerns than a reported plan to ditch California

Reports that David Ellison is considering moving Paramount Skydance retired of California person caused a thunderous information of commentary successful the media world. Inside the company, labor opportunity they person bigger concerns.

Nine Paramount labor who said pinch Business Insider said they weren't worried astir the company's imaginable move, either because they didn't deliberation it was apt aliases because they're based elsewhere.

Instead, they said they are much focused connected what would hap to their jobs if and erstwhile Paramount's $110 cardinal merger pinch Warner Bros. Discovery goes through.

One worker said they breathed a "small sigh of relief" erstwhile Paramount's merger pinch WBD was put connected region because of an antitrust lawsuit from 12 states. They said they consciousness "mostly secure" successful their occupation until astatine slightest March, erstwhile the proceedings is scheduled to begin.

Still, they added that they're "trying to travel up pinch Plan B, conscionable successful case."

'Another deliberate unit tactic'

Ellison has told Paramount's activity that he's considering mounting up shop successful Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, aliases elsewhere if California AG Rob Bonta isn't consenting to discuss a colony of the antitrust suit that has paused the woody by October, Puck News reported this week.

A Paramount spokesperson referred Business Insider to comments made by Makan Delrahim, the company's main ineligible officer, at a Politico event connected Tuesday. Delrahim said "some of the soul conversations were leaked" astir Ellison's scheme to time off California and said that the institution is "certainly astatine the constituent wherever we are considering those factors."

Ellison's determination to float moving Paramount's office "reads for illustration different deliberate unit tactic," expert Rich Greenfield of LightShed Partners wrote successful a Tuesday note.

One New York-based Paramount staffer said they "like the aggressiveness" from Ellison — though they don't cognize really moving retired of California "would activity successful practice."

Paramount's "power bases are centered connected LA and NYC," Greenfield wrote, truthful requiring thousands of staffers to move from California would beryllium a immense logistical undertaking and "disruptive" to employees.

'It's bully to beryllium capable to focus'

Instead of a imaginable relocation, Paramount staffers who said to Business Insider said they are overmuch much focused connected the company's pending woody pinch WBD — and what it could mean for their careers.

"It's bully to beryllium capable to attraction connected what we do without the impending disruption that a merger successful 2026 would person brought," a high-level advertizing worker said of the merger delay.

One awesome headache for Paramount is the astir $7 cardinal per time fee its financial backers would beryllium WBD shareholders for each time the woody doesn't close, starting aft September 30.

That ticking fee, aliases the $7 cardinal breakup interest that Paramount would beryllium WBD if the woody doesn't close, has immoderate staffers worried that tougher days are up for the institution financially.

"I'm astatine an property wherever stepping distant is an option," a seasoned streaming worker said. "But it isn't for most, and location is perfectly concern."