Disney Names First Chief Technology Officer
Disney named Karandeep Anand its first chief technology officer on Friday. Anand was most recently CEO of generative AI chatbot company Character.AI.
- 15 years at Microsoft included work building the Azure cloud platform.
- October 2 is his start date; he reports directly to CEO Josh D'Amaro.
- Multiple Character.AI technical staff are expected to join Disney alongside Anand.
- Disney sent Character.AI a cease-and-desist over its characters in September 2025.
Why it matters: D'Amaro, who became CEO in March, has made Disney+ the centerpiece of a broader push to connect fans across streaming, parks, shopping, and gaming under one platform.
- Anand will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product, and engineering across all of Disney's business segments.
- Character.AI also faces broader legal scrutiny: a May lawsuit over chatbot impersonation of doctors and a January wrongful-death settlement tied to a teen's suicide.
How 11 sources split on this story
Center coverage, 5 sources: The center focuses on the structural significance of creating Disney's first-ever CTO role and the notable backdrop of Disney's prior legal dispute with Character.AI.
Deadline3hA Year After Jousting With Character.AI, Disney Names Its CEO As Its First Chief Technology Officer
Reuters4hDisney names Character.AI's Karandeep Anand its first tech chief
Bloomberg2hDisney Names AI Executive as First-Ever Chief Technology Officer
CNBC3hDisney names CTO for the first time as media giant expands tech push
Engadget33mDisney Hires Ex-CEO Of AI Company It Accused Of Copyright InfringementLeft coverage, 6 sources: The left frames the hire as Disney positioning itself as a technology-forward entertainment company, emphasizing D'Amaro's ambition to push creative and technological boundaries together.
Variety3hDisney Hires First CTO: Karandeep Anand, Former CEO of Character.AI
Hollywood Reporter2hDisney Hires First-Ever Chief Technology Officer
Business Insider2hDisney has a new tech chief: Read the memo from CEO Josh D'Amaro
Los Angeles Times2hDisney names first-ever chief technology officer
TechCrunch1hDisney's first CTO led an AI startup it once accused of copying its characters | TechCrunch
The Verge43mDisney’s first CTO is Character.AI’s former CEOWhat’s next: Disney also named Adam Smith chairman of its direct-to-consumer streaming business on Thursday.
- Streaming and shopping integration on Disney+ is expected to be detailed further in the spring.
- How Disney will navigate Anand's past at Character.AI given the unresolved legal scrutiny that company faces.
- Whether Disney's AI strategy will include a formal partnership with any AI company after its OpenAI deal fell apart.