Disney Hires Its First Chief Technology Officer

Image Source: Disney Wiki

The Walt Disney Company is getting its first Chief Technology Officer. Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro has named Karandeep Anand as the company's new CTO and Senior Executive Vice President. Anand's most recent role was CEO of Character.ai, a generative AI chatbot company focused on character creation and conversation. While Variety names him as the company's former CEO, the Walt Disney Company's press release frames his status as current, and his LinkedIn still lists him as CEO.

Disney has had a legal run-in with this company in the past, alleging copyright infringement over the inclusion of its characters; Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter, and the company reportedly complied.

RELATED:

According to the official press release, as CTO, Anand "will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product, and engineering." D'Amaro highlighted Anand's skills and outlined the future, "Karandeep brings a rare mix of experience across infrastructure, consumer technology and AI, and will be a vital addition to Disney’s senior leadership team as we further our three priorities: great storytelling as our North Star, technology in service of creativity, and operating as One Disney. He is an expert builder and strategist, technical and product-minded, with sharp instincts for what fans actually want."

Image Source: The Walt Disney Company

Anand explained his love for Disney and what he looks forward to: "I’ve admired Disney my entire life for how it blends unforgettable storytelling with the latest technology to constantly push the boundaries of what entertainment can be. I’m honored to join a team with such extraordinary creative talent, and I look forward to building on the company’s impressive technology capabilities to help Disney connect fans worldwide with its beloved stories and characters in new and innovative ways." His official start date is October 2, 2026, reporting directly to D'Amaro.

CultureSlate: Made by humans, for humans

Please consider supporting our AI-free content via our Patreon page.

READ NEXT:

Source(s): The Walt Disney Company, Variety, LinkedIn

Join The Team

Latest News

Featured

Paramount+. Thousands of episodes, live TV & exclusive originals–all in one place. Try it for free!