Disney Appoints First CTO, Former Head of Character.AI

Key Takeaways

1Disney creates the position of Chief Technology Officer and appoints Karandeep Anand

2Character.AI, founded in 2021, was accused by Disney of intellectual property infringement in September 2025

3Anand also worked at Facebook (2015–2021) and spent 15 years at Microsoft

Why it matters : This appointment marks a turning point in Disney's technology strategy, as it selects a leader from an AI startup that has been involved in litigation with the company.

Disney has appointed its first-ever Chief Technology Officer, entrusting the role to Karandeep Anand, the former CEO of Character.AI. The startup was served with a cease-and-desist letter from Disney in September 2025 for allegedly infringing on its characters and has faced other legal challenges. The new CTO previously worked at Facebook and spent 15 years at Microsoft.

Character.AI Targeted by Disney's Cease-and-Desist and Lawsuits

In September 2025, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Character.AI, accusing the company of violating its characters. Disney claimed that the platform hosted protected characters from its franchises. Character.AI has also faced lawsuits due to allegations that some of its chatbots encouraged users to harm themselves or commit suicide. These cases add to the other legal troubles that Character.AI has encountered since its inception. Karandeep Anand became CEO of Character.AI in May 2025, after working at Facebook from 2015 to 2021.

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Disney Creates CTO Position and Appoints Karandeep Anand

Disney has named its very first Chief Technology Officer. This position has been awarded to Karandeep Anand, who previously led Character.AI, a company that Disney accused of infringing on its franchises.

Anand's Background and Character.AI's Scope

Karandeep Anand is the former CEO of Character.AI. This company, founded in 2021, allows users to create unique virtual characters using generative AI and interact with them. According to information on his LinkedIn profile, Anand initially served as an advisor to the board of Character.AI before being appointed CEO. Prior to his time at Facebook, he worked for 15 years at Microsoft.

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