Karandeep Anand, who most recently served as CEO of Character.AI, is moving from the consumer artificial intelligence sector to one of the world’s largest entertainment companies after being appointed The Walt Disney Company’s new Chief Technology Officer, as reported by The Times of India.
According to The Times of India, Disney has appointed Anand as its first Chief Technology Officer in a newly created senior leadership position. He will join the company as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer on October 2, reporting directly to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro.
The newly created role will place Anand in charge of Disney’s enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product and engineering operations. As reported by The Times of India, his responsibilities will span the company’s technology operations as Disney continues to expand its focus on digital products and artificial intelligence.
“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,” 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 a clear sense of where technology and creativity meet.”
Anand has spent much of his professional career developing and managing technology and digital products at major global companies.
The Times of India reported that Anand spent 15 years at Microsoft, where he held senior product and engineering positions and was part of the team involved in building the Azure platform. His time at Microsoft gave him extensive experience in cloud computing, infrastructure and technology products.
After Microsoft, Anand moved to Meta, where he held several leadership positions at Facebook. He ultimately served as vice president of Ads & Business Products, working on products and services connected to the company’s large digital ecosystem.
According to The Times of India, Anand later joined financial technology company Brex as president and chief product officer. His time at Brex added another dimension to his professional background, taking him from large-scale cloud and social-media technology into financial technology and business products.
Disney’s official announcement also confirms Anand’s previous senior positions at Microsoft, Meta and Brex, highlighting his experience across infrastructure, consumer technology, product development and artificial intelligence.
Before moving to Disney, Anand served as CEO of Character.AI, an artificial intelligence platform that allows users to interact with AI-powered characters.
Character.AI appointed Anand as CEO in June 2025. Before becoming CEO, he had spent time as a board adviser to the company, where he was involved in product strategy and user experience.
During Anand’s tenure as CEO, Character.AI continued to build its consumer AI platform and expand its audience. Disney said Anand led the company through a period of significant growth while also focusing on user trust and safety as the platform scaled.
The Times of India noted that Anand’s experience at Character.AI further strengthened his background in consumer artificial intelligence, an area that has become increasingly important in the development of digital products and entertainment platforms.
His move from Character.AI to Disney marks a shift from leading a consumer AI company to overseeing technology across a global entertainment organisation.
At Disney, Anand will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product and engineering, according to the company and The Times of India.
He will work across Disney’s different business segments and technology teams as the company seeks to modernise the way it develops, manages and delivers technology across the organisation.
Disney said Anand will be responsible for helping advance the company’s technology strategy while working across its segment technology teams. Several members of Character.AI’s technical team are also expected to join Disney alongside him.
The appointment comes as Disney continues to place greater emphasis on technology and its digital relationship with audiences. Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro has highlighted the goal of creating a more connected experience for fans, with Disney+ serving as a central part of the company’s digital strategy.
The Times of India reported that Anand’s appointment comes at a time when technology, artificial intelligence and digital products are playing an increasingly important role in the entertainment industry. His experience across cloud computing, social platforms, fintech and consumer AI will now be applied to Disney’s broader technology operations.
The appointment is also notable because this is Disney’s first company-wide Chief Technology Officer role. Reuters reported that Anand will oversee enterprise technology, AI platforms and engineering across Disney’s business segments, with several members of his Character.AI technical team expected to follow him to the company.
Anand holds a degree in computer science from the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, according to Disney’s announcement and The Times of India.
His academic background in computer science was followed by a career spanning some of the technology industry's major companies. He began with Microsoft, where he worked across product and engineering leadership, before moving into senior roles at Meta and later Brex. He subsequently took on a leadership role in consumer artificial intelligence at Character.AI.
Karandeep Anand’s professional journey has taken him across several major areas of technology.
He spent 15 years at Microsoft and worked on Azure, moved to Meta and led business-product operations, became president and chief product officer at Brex, and later took charge of Character.AI as its CEO. Disney has now appointed him to lead its company-wide technology operations as its first CTO.
As reported by The Times of India, Anand’s transition brings together experience from cloud computing, social media, financial technology and consumer artificial intelligence as he prepares to take on Disney’s newly created technology leadership role.
He is scheduled to begin his new position at Disney on October 2, reporting directly to CEO Josh D’Amaro. His appointment represents another step in Disney’s ongoing effort to integrate technology, data and AI more closely with its entertainment and digital operations