Disney taps Indian-origin former Character.AI CEO Karandeep Anand as its first CTO. Who is he?

In a strategic shift to place advanced computing, data, and artificial intelligence at the heart of its creative empire, The Walt Disney Company has named tech veteran Karandeep Anand as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.

The appointment marks the creation of a centralized CTO role at the company. Reporting directly to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, Anand will assume the post on October 2. In his new capacity, he will oversee Disney’s enterprise technology, global infrastructure, data and AI platforms, alongside product and engineering teams.

The move signals Disney’s intent to unify its vast technological ecosystem—spanning streaming platforms like Disney+, theme park operations, digital media, and enterprise operations—under a single, centralized mandate.

“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,” D’Amaro said in a statement.

Anand highlighted his enthusiasm for bridging tech and entertainment: “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 stated. “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.”

Who is Karandeep Anand?  

Karandeep Anand brings over two decades of enterprise computing, digital advertising, fintech, and consumer AI experience to Disney. The Indian-origin tech executive completed his undergraduate studies in India, earning a BTech in Computer Science from the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIITH). He later pursued higher education in the United States, receiving a certification from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

• Microsoft (15 Years): He spent a decade and a half at Microsoft in senior product and engineering management roles, where he was part of the core team that helped build and scale the Azure cloud computing platform.  
• Meta Platforms: Following Microsoft, Anand joined Meta (formerly Facebook), rising to Vice President of Ads & Business Products. During his tenure, he led business tools and messaging products across Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Facebook.  
• Brex: Anand served as President and Chief Product Officer at fintech firm Brex, guiding the company’s product vision, spend management platform, and early AI integration initiatives.  
• Character.AI: Prior to joining Disney, Anand served as CEO of Character.AI, an AI conversational and creative platform. Under his leadership, the company scaled its consumer audience and expanded into multimodal generative AI.