Walt Disney Co. has named Karandeep Anand as the company’s first-ever chief technology officer, a move that aligns with Chief Executive Josh D’Amaro’s push toward tech integration at the Burbank media giant.
Anand, who will also serve as senior executive vice president, starts on Oct. 2 and reports to D’Amaro. He previously served as chief executive at the tech start-up Character.AI, which developed a chatbot platform.
Last year, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Character.AI, alleging copyright infringement of its well-known characters, including Elsa, Moana, Peter Parker and Darth Vader. After receiving the letter, Character.AI removed the Disney characters as chatbot options.
On Friday, Disney said “a number” of Character.AI’s technical team are expected to come to Disney with Anand. In his new role, Anand will work across Disney to modernize its development and implementation of tech, as well as overseeing data and AI platforms, enterprise technology and infrastructure.
“Karandeep brings a rare mix of experience across infrastructure, consumer technology and AI,” D’Amaro said in a statement. “He is an expert builder and strategist, technical and product-minded, with sharp instincts for what fans actually want.”
The news comes as D’Amaro has pushed for Disney+ to serve as the digital centerpiece of the company, bringing together its entertainment, sports, games and experiences options in one place.
