Disney's first CTO is ex-CEO of a startup Disney once sued
Original: Disney’s first CTO led an AI startup it once accused of copying its characters
Why This Matters
Disney creating a CTO role signals a top-level strategic bet on AI at one of entertainment's biggest players.
Disney hired Karandeep Anand as its first-ever CTO. Anand was previously CEO of Character.AI — a company Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to in September 2025 over alleged copyright infringement of its characters. The hire was made by new Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro, who replaced Bob Iger in March 2026.
Disney has appointed Karandeep Anand as its first chief technology officer — a hire that comes loaded with irony. Anand served as CEO of Character.AI, the generative AI platform that lets users create and converse with virtual personas. In September 2025, Disney sent Character.AI a cease-and-desist letter alleging the platform was hosting chatbot versions of copyrighted Disney characters without authorization.
Beyond the IP dispute with Disney, Character.AI has faced separate lawsuits alleging its chatbots encouraged users toward self-harm and suicide. Anand joined Character.AI's board as an adviser before stepping up to CEO in May 2025. Prior to that, he spent six years at Facebook (2015–2021) and 15 years at Microsoft.
The hire was made by new Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro, who took the helm after Bob Iger stepped down in March 2026. According to Variety, D'Amaro selected Anand personally, signaling an intent to push the entertainment giant deeper into emerging technology. The creation of a CTO role itself marks a structural shift for Disney, which has historically left technology leadership distributed across its many divisions.