Disney Names Character.AI's Former CEO as First Chief Technology Officer to Lead AI Integration

NewsData.io · United States · Sep 26, 2026

Disney has appointed Karandeep Anand, former CEO of Character.AI, as its first-ever Chief Technology Officer and Senior EVP, tasked with overseeing AI infrastructure and modernizing technology across the company. The hire is notable given Disney previously issued a cease-and-desist to Character.AI over copyright infringement allegations. Anand, who also held senior roles at Brex and spent 15 years at Microsoft building Azure, has indicated he plans to bring members of his Character.AI team to Disney. The appointment signals major investment in enterprise AI strategy at one of the world's largest media companies, with implications for tech talent demand and AI-focused hiring at scale.