Disney Taps Former Character.AI CEO Anand as First CTO

Disney has appointed Karandeep Anand as its first chief technology officer. He previously served as CEO of Character.AI and will join Disney on October 2. Anand's role will involve overseeing enterprise technology, AI platforms, and engineering across Disney's business segments.

Anand has a background in tech, having spent 15 years at Microsoft working on the Azure cloud platform and holding senior positions at Meta's Facebook. He also served as president and chief product officer at fintech company Brex.

Disney's appointment of Anand comes as the company expands its focus on technology and artificial intelligence across its operations. This includes expanding its direct-to-consumer platforms, such as Disney+ and Hulu.

Anand is expected to report directly to CEO Josh D'Amaro, who took over from Bob Iger in March. A number of Character.AI's technical employees are also set to join Anand at Disney.