Disney names Karandeep Anand as first-ever Chief Technology Officer

The Walt Disney Company has appointed Karandeep Anand as its first-ever Chief Technology Officer, creating a new senior leadership position as the entertainment giant deepens its focus on technology, artificial intelligence and digital innovation.

The company announced on 18 September that Anand will join as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer on 2 October 2026, reporting directly to Chief Executive Officer Josh D'Amaro. According to Disney, the role has been established to strengthen technology capabilities across the organisation and support the company's long-term strategic priorities.

A newly created role with broad responsibilities

As Disney's inaugural CTO, Anand will oversee a wide range of technology functions across the company.

His responsibilities will include:

• Enterprise technology and infrastructure
• Data and AI platforms
• Product development
• Engineering operations
• Technology collaboration across Disney's business units

Disney said the appointment is intended to enhance how the company delivers products, services and experiences to audiences while supporting its broader business operations.

The move places technology, data and AI leadership under a single executive at a time when media companies are increasing investment in digital capabilities and platform innovation.

Technology veteran brings AI and platform expertise

Anand joins Disney with more than two decades of experience spanning cloud computing, social media, financial technology and artificial intelligence.

Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Character.AI, the generative AI chatbot company. According to company announcements, he became CEO in June 2025 after previously serving as a board adviser.

During his tenure, Character.AI expanded its consumer AI offerings and interactive storytelling products. The company also introduced additional safety measures, including restrictions on open-ended chatbot interactions for users under the age of 18.

Before Character.AI, Anand was President and Chief Product Officer at Brex, the financial technology company.

Leadership experience across Meta and Microsoft

Prior to his work in AI and fintech, Anand held senior leadership positions at Meta, where he spent several years at Facebook.

His final role at the company was Vice President, Ads & Business Products, overseeing products used by businesses across the social media platform's ecosystem.

Earlier in his career, Anand spent approximately 15 years at Microsoft, where he worked in product and engineering leadership roles.

According to reports, he was involved in the development of Microsoft's Azure cloud platform, giving him extensive experience in enterprise infrastructure and large-scale technology systems.

His educational background includes a degree in computer science from the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad.

Technology strategy takes centre stage

Disney's decision to create a dedicated CTO role reflects the growing importance of technology across entertainment, media and consumer platforms.

According to company statements, Disney's technology strategy is designed to support its creative and storytelling businesses while expanding capabilities in areas such as data, digital products and artificial intelligence.

D'Amaro said Anand brings experience across infrastructure, consumer technology and AI. Anand, in comments released by the company, said he sees an opportunity to combine technology and creativity within Disney's global operations.

Reports also indicate that several members of Anand's technical team at Character.AI are expected to join Disney, potentially strengthening the company's expertise in consumer AI and digital product development.

An unusual connection between Disney and Character.AI

Anand's appointment comes after a previous interaction between Disney and Character.AI.

In September 2025, Disney reportedly issued a cease-and-desist notice concerning the alleged unauthorised use of Disney-owned characters on the Character.AI platform. Character.AI subsequently removed those characters from its service.

The earlier dispute did not prevent Anand from joining Disney's leadership team, highlighting the company's focus on securing technology expertise as it expands its digital ambitions.