The Walt Disney Company has appointed Karandeep Anand, the former CEO of generative AI company Character.AI, as its first-ever Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Anand will join Disney as Senior Executive Vice President and CTO on October 2, 2026, reporting directly to CEO Josh D’Amaro.
The appointment marks the creation of a new company-wide technology leadership position as Disney looks to strengthen its digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence capabilities and technology operations across its businesses.
Karandeep Anand to Lead Disney’s Technology Strategy
In his new role, Anand will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product development and engineering. He will work across Disney’s different business segments with the goal of modernizing how the company develops and delivers technology.
Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro said Anand brings experience spanning infrastructure, consumer technology and AI, describing him as a technical and product-focused leader who understands the intersection of technology and creativity.
Anand is expected to be joined by several members of his former technical team from Character.AI.
From Microsoft and Meta to Character.AI
Anand brings extensive experience from some of the world’s largest technology companies. Before joining Character.AI, he served as President and Chief Product Officer at fintech company Brex.
He also held several leadership positions at Meta, including Vice President of Ads & Business Products at Facebook. Earlier in his career, Anand spent approximately 15 years at Microsoft, where he held senior product and engineering roles and was part of the team involved in building the Azure cloud platform.
Anand became CEO of Character.AI in 2025 and led the company as it expanded its consumer AI platform and entertainment-focused products. Character.AI confirmed that he will now move to Disney, with members of its technical team expected to follow him.
Disney’s Growing Focus on AI and Technology
Anand’s appointment comes as Disney increases its emphasis on technology and digital experiences. Under D’Amaro, Disney has been focusing on strengthening its direct relationship with consumers, with Disney+ positioned as an important digital connection point for fans.
The new CTO role gives Disney a company-wide technology leader responsible for areas that have historically been managed across different business units. The company says Anand will help modernize its technology development and delivery across the organization.
The appointment is also notable because Disney had previously sent Character.AI a cease-and-desist letter over the unauthorized use of Disney characters on its platform. Character.AI subsequently removed those characters.
With Anand moving from a leading consumer AI company to one of the world’s largest entertainment businesses, his appointment places AI, data and engineering among the central technology priorities of Disney’s next phase.
