Disney Appoints Former Character.AI Executive as Its First Chief Technology Officer
Entertainment giant Disney has appointed the former executive of an artificial intelligence startup it previously accused of copyright infringement to the newly created position of chief technology officer in the company's history.
Disney has appointed Karandeep Anand to the newly created position of chief technology officer in its corporate history. Notably, Anand is the former executive of the AI startup Character.AI, which Disney had previously sent a cease-and-desist letter to over copyright issues.
Disney's First Chief Technology Officer
Entertainment pioneer Disney has made history by establishing the chief technology officer position for the first time in its corporate history.
Karandeep Anand, an experienced figure in the fields of technology and artificial intelligence, has been appointed to this strategic and new position.
Past Copyright Controversies
New chief technology officer Karandeep Anand was previously the chief executive officer of the artificial intelligence startup Character.AI, which had been accused of copyright infringement by Disney.
In September 2025, Disney had sent an official cease-and-desist letter to this startup alleging the unauthorized use of its characters.
Management Changes and Career Background
The decision to appoint Karandeep Anand to this critical role was made by the new Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro, who succeeded Bob Iger in March.
Before becoming CEO of Character.AI in May 2025, Anand had served as a board advisor and previously worked at major companies such as Facebook and Microsoft.