Disney (DIS) hires Character.AI's CEO as its first CTO. A year ago, Disney told the startup to stop using its characters.

By Dennis Singleton · Markets Writer · September 18, 2026, 3:00 PM ET

Key points

Disney (DIS) creates its first chief technology officer role
The hire comes from Character.AI
He starts Oct. 2 and reports to the CEO
Disney and Character.AI had a copyright dispute last year

The Walt Disney Company (DIS) has hired Karandeep Anand, the chief executive of Character.AI, as its first chief technology officer. The role is newly created. Anand will start October 2 and report to Chief Executive Josh D'Amaro.

D'Amaro said Anand "brings a rare mix of experience across infrastructure, consumer technology and AI" and called him "a vital addition to Disney's senior leadership team."

Disney and Character.AI had a copyright dispute last September. Disney sent the chatbot company a cease-and-desist letter over its use of Disney characters without permission, Axios reported. Anand was Character.AI's chief executive at the time.

What Anand will run

Anand will serve as senior executive vice president and chief technology officer. He will oversee Disney's enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product development, and engineering.

Disney said he will work with technology teams across its businesses to update how the company develops and delivers technology.

Anand said in the announcement, "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."

From Character.AI to Disney

Anand has led Character.AI since 2025. Before joining the chatbot startup, he was president and chief product officer at Brex. He previously led ads and business products at Meta and spent 15 years in product and engineering roles at Microsoft.

Disney's letter to Character.AI was sent in late September 2025. The company said Character.AI hosted chatbots based on characters from Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar without authorization. Character.AI said the company removed the characters named in the letter.

Google (GOOGL) has separately pitched Disney on licensing its characters for AI at an estimated $40 million each, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Disney shares traded near $102.90 on Friday afternoon, down about 2.3% from Thursday's close of $105.35.

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Frequently asked questions

Who is Disney's new chief technology officer?

Karandeep Anand, the chief executive of Character.AI, was named senior executive vice president and chief technology officer of The Walt Disney Company (DIS) on September 18, 2026. The role is newly created. He starts October 2, 2026 and reports to Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro.

What will Disney's CTO be responsible for?

Disney said Anand will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product, and engineering, working across the company's segment technology teams to modernize how Disney builds and delivers technology company-wide.

What is Karandeep Anand's background?

Before Character.AI, Anand was president and chief product officer at the financial technology company Brex. He was previously vice president of ads and business products at Meta, and he spent 15 years at Microsoft in product and engineering roles.

Did Disney and Character.AI have a dispute?

Yes. In September 2025, Disney sent Character.AI a cease-and-desist letter demanding it stop using Disney characters, including from Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar, without authorization. Character.AI said the company removed the characters named in the letter. Anand was Character.AI's chief executive at the time.

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Dennis Singleton · Markets Writer

Dennis Singleton has spent years following the markets, but what keeps his attention is how AI is built. He writes about the companies behind the technology, from semiconductor designers and advanced packaging to photonics, memory, networking, and the hardware powering modern AI. His approach starts with filings, earnings, and industry research, then translates the important details into clear, straightforward analysis without unnecessary hype.