Disney has appointed Karan Deep Anand as its first-ever Chief Technology Officer, effective October 2. Anand will serve as a Senior Executive Vice President and report directly to Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro. His primary responsibilities include overseeing enterprise technology, infrastructure, data, and AI platforms, alongside product and engineering operations.
The company aims to modernize its technology development and delivery processes by unifying various technical teams under Anand's leadership. D'Amaro emphasized that Anand's background in infrastructure, consumer technology, and AI is critical to integrating technology with Disney's creative storytelling and unified operational model.
Before joining Disney, Anand led Character.AI, a platform for creating and interacting with AI-powered chatbots. Alongside his appointment, Disney has recruited additional talent from the Character.AI technical team. Anand's previous career experience includes roles at the fintech firm Brex and Meta's Facebook.
The hiring marks a shift in the relationship between the two companies. Last year, Disney issued a cease-and-desist letter to Character.AI, alleging the unauthorized use of copyrighted characters on the platform. Anand is now tasked with steering Disney's broader AI strategy and digital infrastructure.
