Disney appoints Karandeep Anand as its first Chief Technology Officer

The Walt Disney Company has appointed Karandeep Anand as its first-ever Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Senior Executive Vice President. Anand, who most recently served as CEO of the generative AI startup Character.AI, is scheduled to begin his new role on October 2, reporting directly to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro.

Anand will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data, artificial intelligence platforms, product, and engineering across Disney’s various business segments. The appointment is part of a broader strategy to modernize the company’s technology and integrate AI into its core offerings, including streaming services like Disney+ and its theme parks.

The hire is notable due to the recent legal history between the two companies. In September 2025, Disney issued a cease-and-desist letter to Character.AI, alleging the platform used unauthorized copyrighted characters in its chatbots. Several technical team members from Character.AI are also expected to join Disney as part of this transition. Anand brings extensive experience from previous leadership roles at Microsoft, Meta, and the fintech company Brex.