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Disney Names Karandeep Anand Its First Chief Technology Officer
Disney has hired Karandeep Anand to become its first chief technology officer.
A chief technology officer helps a company plan and manage its technology.
Anand will start the job on October 2, 2026.
He will oversee computers, data, artificial intelligence and digital products across Disney.
Before this, he was the CEO of Character.AI.
He has also worked at Brex, Meta and Microsoft.
Disney says technology should help its creative businesses and serve fans better.
Disney and Character.AI previously disagreed over the use of Disney characters, but that dispute did not stop Anand from joining Disney.
The Walt Disney Company appointed Karandeep Anand as its first-ever chief technology officer.
Anand will join Disney as senior executive vice president and CTO on October 2, 2026.
He will report to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro and oversee technology, infrastructure, data, AI, products and engineering.
Anand previously led Character.AI and held senior roles at Brex, Meta and Microsoft.
His appointment follows a prior dispute in which Disney challenged Character.AI’s use of Disney-owned characters.
- Who
- The Walt Disney Company appointed Karandeep Anand, who will report to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro.
- What
- Disney appointed Anand as its first-ever chief technology officer and senior executive vice president.
- Where
- The role covers Disney’s technology operations across its businesses.
- When
- The appointment was announced on 18 September; Anand will start on October 2, 2026.
- Why
- Disney said it wants to strengthen technology and improve how it serves fans while supporting its creative businesses.
Key facts
- Appointee
- Karandeep Anand
- Position
- Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
- Start date
- October 2, 2026
- Reports to
- Josh D’Amaro, Disney CEO
- Responsibilities
- Enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product development and engineering
- Previous role
- Chief executive officer of Character.AI
- Education
- Computer science at the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad
Sources
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