Disney has appointed Karandeep Anand as its inaugural chief technology officer, effective October 2, 2026. The company announced the decision on September 18, 2026. Anand will report directly to CEO Josh D’Amaro and oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data, and AI platforms across all business units.
Anand previously served as CEO of the generative AI platform Character.AI. His professional background includes a 15-year tenure at Microsoft focusing on the Azure cloud platform, a vice president role at Meta, and a position as president and chief product officer at Brex.
The appointment aims to support the company's One Disney initiative, which seeks to unify its diverse operations, including theme parks, streaming services, and film studios. Several technical staff members from Character.AI are expected to join Anand at Disney as part of the transition.
