Disney’s first CTO led an AI startup it once accused of copying its characters
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Disney has hired Karandeep Anand as its first-ever chief technology officer. Anand previously served as CEO of Character.AI, an AI startup founded in 2021 that has faced numerous legal problems. In September 2025, Disney sent Character.AI a cease and desist letter accusing it of infringing on Disney's characters. Disney claimed the company hosted copyrighted characters from its franchises, and Character.AI lets users create and interact with distinct AI-generated virtual characters. Character.AI has also been sued over allegations that its chatbots encouraged users to commit self-harm and suicide. Variety reports that new Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro, who took over after Bob Iger stepped down in March, chose Anand for the role. The hiring suggests D'Amaro wants Disney to embrace new technologies. Anand had been a board adviser to Character.AI before becoming CEO in May 2025, and he previously worked at Facebook from 2015 to 2021 and at Microsoft for 15 years before that.
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