Disney names Karandeep Anand to newly created Chief Technology Officer role

Anand, who most recently was CEO of Character.AI, joins on 2 October 2026 and will report directly to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro. 

He will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product, and engineering. Disney said he will work across the company’s segment technology teams to “further modernise how Disney builds and delivers technology company-wide.”  

Along with Anand, a number of Character.AI’s technical team members are expected to join Disney.  

The move comes as D’Amaro is sharpening Disney’s focus on technology as a driver of growth across the company. Since becoming CEO, D’Amaro has emphasised deepening Disney’s direct relationships with consumers by creating a more connected Disney experience, with Disney+ as the digital centrepiece. 

Before Character.AI, Anand was President and Chief Product Officer of the financial technology company Brex. He also served in several leadership roles at Meta’s Facebook, most recently as Vice President, Ads, Business Products. Earlier in his career, Anand held senior product and engineering leadership roles at Microsoft, where he worked for 15 years and was part of the team that built the Azure platform. He holds a Computer Science degree from the International Institute of Information Technology in Hyderabad. 

“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,” said D’Amaro. “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.” 

“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 honoured 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.” 

Disney+ recently revealed it is introducing Playlists, a feature that brings together themed collections of episodes and movies that play continuously. Discover more here.