# Disney hires CTO from AI startup it sued

> Disney's new chief technology officer previously led Character.AI, the company Disney accused of copying its characters.
- Title: Disney hires CTO from AI startup it sued · TechCrunch
- Summary: Disney's new chief technology officer previously led Character.AI, the company Disney accused of copying its characters. Disney is signaling a shift toward…
- Keywords: disney, character.ai, karandeep anand, chief technology officer, ai startup, copyright infringement, josh d'amaro, generative ai, cease and desist, tech leadership, technology, startups
- Source: TechCrunch — https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/18/disneys-first-cto-led-an-ai-startup-it-once-accused-of-copying-its-characters
- Author: Lucas Ropek
- Published: 2026-09-18T17:59:53+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: disney, character.ai, karandeep anand, chief technology officer, ai startup, copyright infringement, josh d'amaro, generative ai, cease and desist, tech leadership, technology, startups
## Disney names first CTO
Disney hired Karandeep Anand as its first-ever chief technology officer. He was previously CEO of Character.AI, an AI startup Disney sued in September 2025.
## The copyright dispute
Disney sent Character.AI a cease and desist letter in September 2025, claiming the platform was hosting copyrighted Disney characters without permission.
## What Character.AI does
Character.AI lets users create and interact with virtual characters powered by generative AI. Disney claimed the platform was hosting unauthorized versions of its beloved franchises.
## Other legal troubles
Beyond Disney's lawsuit, Character.AI has faced additional legal challenges, including allegations that its chatbots encouraged users to commit self-harm and suicide.
## Anand's background
Anand worked at Facebook from 2015 to 2021 and spent 15 years at Microsoft before joining Character.AI as a board adviser, then becoming CEO in May 2025.
## D'Amaro signals AI embrace
New Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro, who took over in March 2026, chose Anand for the role. The hiring suggests Disney wants to embrace new AI technologies.
## Key takeaway

Disney is signaling a shift toward embracing AI technology by hiring a leader from an AI startup it previously took legal action against.