Disney announced the creation of a chief technology officer position and named Karandeep Anand to fill the newly created role, marking the first time the media company has had an executive with this title. Anand, who most recently served as CEO of Character.AI, will assume the position effective October 2 and report directly to CEO Josh D’Amaro.
In his role, Anand will oversee enterprise technology infrastructure, data and artificial intelligence platforms, as well as product and engineering functions across Disney. His responsibilities will include working with various technology teams to modernize how the company develops and delivers technology across its operations. D’Amaro characterized Anand as bringing a combination of expertise in infrastructure, consumer technology, and artificial intelligence that will strengthen Disney’s senior leadership.
The hiring reflects D’Amaro’s strategic direction since assuming the CEO position months earlier, when he emphasized the importance of technology to advance all areas of the company. The executive highlighted three priorities for Disney: storytelling as the company’s foundation, technology supporting creative endeavors, and operating as a unified organization. In March, D’Amaro outlined a comprehensive strategy focusing on leveraging Disney’s intellectual property and expanding technological capabilities to drive growth.
Disney has made several recent moves aligned with this technology-focused direction. The company’s streaming service Disney+ has been central to these plans, with D’Amaro indicating Disney is exploring a free, ad-supported tier to attract more users. Additionally, Disney announced plans to integrate shopping functionality into Disney+, with an integrated ecosystem combining content, consumer products, parks, cruises, and interactive experiences with Disney’s intellectual property expected to launch in the spring. The company also appointed Adam Smith as chairman of direct-to-consumer for Disney Entertainment to oversee the streaming business.
Anand is relocating from Character.AI, a platform enabling users to create and interact with AI-powered chatbots, where he guided the company through significant expansion while prioritizing user trust and safety. He has also held positions at financial technology company Brex and Meta’s Facebook. Disney is also hiring members of Character.AI’s technical team. The companies have a previous interaction, with Disney sending a cease-and-desist letter last year regarding unauthorized use of Disney characters on Character.AI’s platform.
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