The Walt Disney Company named Karandeep Anand as its first Chief Technology Officer, effective October 2. Anand will report directly to CEO Josh D'Amaro in this newly created position.
This move centralizes Disney’s technology leadership to address previous criticism from activist investors regarding its fragmented structure. Anand joins the company from generative AI firm Character.AI, where he served as CEO.
His career includes leadership roles at Meta and Brex, plus a 15-year tenure at Microsoft developing the Azure platform. Anand will now oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data, and AI platforms company-wide.
The appointment signals a strategic focus on integrating artificial intelligence and modernizing Disney’s operations. A group of technical staff from Character.AI will also join the company.