The Walt Disney Company has appointed Karandeep Anand as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, a newly created role, effective October 2, 2026.
Anand, who most recently served as CEO of Character.AI, will report directly to Disney Chief Executive Officer Josh D’Amaro. In his new role, he will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product, and engineering, while working with technology teams across Disney’s business segments.
“Karandeep brings a rare mix of experience across infrastructure, consumer technology and AI, and will be a vital addition to Disney’s senior leadership team as we further our three priorities: great storytelling as our North Star, technology in service of creativity, and operating as One Disney,” said D’Amaro. “He is an expert builder and strategist, technical and product-minded, with sharp instincts for what fans actually want. He also has real enthusiasm and respect for Disney, a clear sense of where technology and creativity meet, and shares our belief that technology creates the most value when it helps people do their best work.”
As CTO, Anand will focus on advancing Disney’s technology capabilities and supporting the company’s broader efforts to modernize how technology is developed and delivered across the organization. A number of members of Character.AI’s technical team are also expected to join Disney.
“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,” Anand said. “I’m honored to join a team with such extraordinary creative talent, and I look forward to building on the company’s impressive technology capabilities to help Disney connect fans worldwide with its beloved stories and characters in new and innovative ways.”
At Character.AI, Anand led the company through a period of significant growth, with a focus on scaling its consumer AI platform while prioritizing user trust and safety. Before joining Character.AI, he served as President and Chief Product Officer at financial technology company Brex.
Earlier, Anand held several leadership positions at Meta, including Vice President of Ads & Business Products. He also spent 15 years at Microsoft in senior product and engineering roles and was part of the team that built the Azure platform.
Anand holds a degree in Computer Science from the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad.
This appointment brings together Anand’s experience across AI, consumer technology, product, engineering and infrastructure as Disney continues to expand the role of technology across its business.
