Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. announced Friday that Karandeep Anand, who most recently served as CEO of the artificial intelligence chatbot company Character.AI, will become the entertainment giant’s first companywide chief technology officer.
Anand will join Disney as senior executive vice president and chief technology officer Oct. 2 and report directly to CEO Josh D’Amaro, according to the company.
The chief technology officer position is newly created. Anand will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product and engineering and work across Disney’s segment technology teams to modernize how the company builds and delivers technology.
A number of Character.AI’s technical team members are also expected to join Disney, the company said.
“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,” D’Amaro said.
“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.”
The appointment comes as D’Amaro increases Disney’s focus on technology as a driver of growth. Since becoming CEO, D’Amaro has emphasized strengthening the company’s direct relationships with consumers through a more connected Disney experience, with Disney+ as its digital centerpiece.
Before Character.AI, Anand was president and chief product officer of financial technology company Brex.
He also held several leadership positions at Meta’s Facebook, most recently serving as vice president of ads and business products. Earlier in his career, Anand spent 15 years at Microsoft in senior product and engineering leadership roles and was part of the team that built the Azure cloud-computing platform.
“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.”
Anand will be Disney’s first companywide chief technology officer, according to Variety. The company’s highest-ranking technology executive had been Adam Smith, who was promoted Thursday to chairman of direct-to-consumer for Disney Entertainment. Smith joined Disney in 2024 as chief product and technology officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN.
Anand holds a computer science degree from the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad.