Disney names Karandeep Anand, former Character.AI CEO, as its first chief technology officer

On September 18, 2026, The Walt Disney Company named Karandeep Anand as its first chief technology officer. Anand, who previously served as CEO of the AI chatbot startup Character. AI, will join Disney on October 2, 2026, reporting to CEO Josh D'Amaro. He will oversee enterprise technology, AI platforms, and engineering across Disney's business segments. This appointment comes after Disney sent Character. AI a cease-and-desist letter in September 2025 over unauthorized use of Disney characters. Anand's background includes senior roles at Microsoft and Meta. Disney has been exploring AI integration, but its previous $1 billion deal with OpenAI ended in March 2026.