Disney Hires Former Character.AI CEO as Its First-Ever Chief Technology Officer
Karandeep Anand joins Disney after its 2025 cease-and-desist letter to Character.AI over alleged copyright infringement. Named CTO in September 2026, he previously led Character.AI and spent 21 years at Facebook and Microsoft.
Disney has appointed Karandeep Anand, the former CEO of Character.AI, as its first-ever chief technology officer — a notable choice given that Disney previously sent Character.AI a cease-and-desist letter over alleged copyright infringement.
The hire was announced in September 2026. Anand was selected for the newly created role by Disney’s current CEO Josh D’Amaro, who took over the company after Bob Iger stepped down in March 2026. The appointment suggests D’Amaro intends to push Disney further into emerging technologies.
The backstory adds an unusual dimension to the hiring. In September 2025, Disney accused Character.AI of hosting copyrighted characters from its franchises without authorization. Character.AI is a platform that lets users create and interact with AI-generated virtual characters, and Disney claimed the company was infringing on its intellectual property. Beyond Disney’s legal action, Character.AI has also faced lawsuits alleging its chatbots encouraged users to commit self-harm and suicide.
Anand joined Character.AI’s board as an adviser before becoming its CEO in May 2025, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to his time at Character.AI, he spent six years at Facebook, from 2015 to 2021, and 15 years at Microsoft before that.
By bringing in an executive from a company it once pursued legally, Disney may be signaling a broader shift in how it approaches AI — moving from a defensive legal posture toward actively building internal technology leadership. Variety first reported Anand’s appointment.