# Disney hires Character.AI's ex-CEO as first CTO

> The entertainment giant appoints Karandeep Anand to lead technology, marking a major shift in AI strategy.
- Title: Disney hires Character.AI's ex-CEO as first CTO · The Verge
- Summary: The entertainment giant appoints Karandeep Anand to lead technology, marking a major shift in AI strategy. Disney is making its first-ever CTO hire from a…
- Keywords: disney, karandeep anand, character.ai, chief technology officer, cto hire, josh d'amaro, ai strategy, openai partnership, chatbot, technology leadership, technology, culture
- Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/entertainment/997555/karandeep-anand-disney-character-ai
- Author: Charles Pulliam-Moore
- Published: 2026-09-18T18:27:04+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: disney, karandeep anand, character.ai, chief technology officer, cto hire, josh d'amaro, ai strategy, openai partnership, chatbot, technology leadership, technology, culture
## Disney names its first CTO ever
Disney announced Karandeep Anand as its new Chief Technology Officer, the first person to hold this role at the massive entertainment company.
## Anand comes from Character.AI
Anand was CEO of chatbot startup Character.AI for just over a year, where he oversaw the company's push into microdramas.
## He'll lead Disney's tech teams
Anand will report to CEO Josh D'Amaro and oversee infrastructure, product, engineering, and data and AI platforms teams.
## Disney sued Character.AI last year
A year ago, Disney sent Character.AI cease and desist letters over copyright infringement. Now Disney is hiring its former CEO.
## OpenAI partnership fell apart
Anand's hiring signals Disney wants to build its own AI capabilities after its partnership with OpenAI ended.
## Key takeaway

Disney is making its first-ever CTO hire from a chatbot startup, signaling a serious commitment to AI infrastructure after its OpenAI partnership ended.