Disney appointed Karandeep Anand, former CEO of Character.AI, as senior executive vice president and chief technology officer effective Oct. 2, the first executive to hold the corporate CTO title. Anand will report directly to CEO Josh D'Amaro and oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data, artificial intelligence platforms and product engineering across the company.
The hire signals D'Amaro's push to position technology as a primary lever for growth across Disney's core businesses—streaming, parks and consumer products. Since assuming the top post, D'Amaro has outlined a strategy centered on leveraging proprietary intellectual property across multiple revenue streams, with technology as the operational backbone.
Disney+ remains central to that vision. The company is considering a free, ad-supported tier described as a "front porch" to funnel users into the platform. D'Amaro also named Adam Smith as chairman of Disney Entertainment's direct-to-consumer business on Thursday, consolidating streaming leadership.
Disney is also integrating shopping into Disney+, with details expected in spring. CFO Hugh Johnston described the target as an "integrated ecosystem under the Disney+ banner"—converging content, consumer products, parks, cruises and gaming to create multiple revenue touchpoints from a single user relationship.
Anand's résumé maps directly onto that mandate. At Character.AI, he grew a consumer AI platform with one of the highest engagement rates in the sector while managing trust and safety—operational challenges Disney will face as it scales generative AI features. Before Character.AI, he worked at infrastructure-heavy companies: Meta and fintech firm Brex, where he built systems to handle scale and compliance. Disney is recruiting members of his Character.AI engineering team as well.
D'Amaro said in the announcement that Anand brings "a rare mix of experience across infrastructure, consumer technology and AI," framing the hire as essential to Disney's three stated priorities: storytelling, technology in service of creativity, and unified operations across business units.
