{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/disney-appoints-karandeep-anand-as-chief-technology-officer","json":"https://digestai.news/story/disney-appoints-karandeep-anand-as-chief-technology-officer.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/disney-appoints-karandeep-anand-as-chief-technology-officer.md","slug":"disney-appoints-karandeep-anand-as-chief-technology-officer","headline":"Disney appoints Karandeep Anand as chief technology officer","summary":"Disney announced hiring Karandeep Anand, former CEO of Character.AI, as senior executive vice president and chief technology officer, effective Oct. 2. The newly created role will report directly to CEO Josh D'Amaro, who has been emphasizing technology across the company.\n\nAnand will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, as well as product and engineering, aiming to modernize how Disney builds and delivers technology company‑wide. His background includes leading Character.AI through rapid growth, stints at fintech firm Brex and at Meta’s Facebook. Disney also recently named Adam Smith as chairman of direct‑to‑consumer for Disney Entertainment and is exploring a free, ad‑supported tier for Disney+.\n\nThe hire reflects Disney’s broader push to embed AI and modern tech into its streaming, parks and merchandising businesses, an effort D'Amaro says is essential to sustain growth and protect intellectual property after a prior dispute with Character.AI.","keyPoints":["Disney hires Karandeep Anand, former Character.AI CEO, as senior executive vice president and chief technology officer effective Oct. 2.","Anand will oversee enterprise tech, infrastructure, data, AI platforms, product and engineering across Disney’s businesses.","The new CTO reports to CEO Josh D'Amaro as Disney expands its tech focus on streaming, parks and commerce."],"whyItMatters":"Appointing a dedicated CTO shows Disney’s intent to embed AI and modern infrastructure into its content, streaming, parks and merchandising, shaping how the media giant competes and collaborates with tech partners while protecting its intellectual property.","category":{"slug":"business","name":"Business & Funding","url":"https://digestai.news/category/business"},"entities":{"companies":["Disney","Character.AI","Brex","Meta"],"models":[],"people":["Karandeep Anand","Josh D'Amaro","Adam Smith","Hugh Johnston"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-18T16:14:26Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-18T17:59:53Z","sourceCount":3,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"CNBC Technology","title":"Disney names CTO for the first time as media giant expands tech push","url":"https://cnbc.com/2026/09/18/disney-cto-tech.html","publishedAt":"2026-09-18T16:14:26Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true},{"outlet":"TechCrunch AI","title":"Disney’s first CTO led an AI startup it once accused of copying its characters","url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/18/disneys-first-cto-led-an-ai-startup-it-once-accused-of-copying-its-characters","publishedAt":"2026-09-18T17:59:53Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":false},{"outlet":"Unite.AI","title":"Disney Names Character.AI CEO Karandeep Anand Chief Technology Officer","url":"https://unite.ai/disney-names-character-ai-ceo-karandeep-anand-chief-technology-officer","publishedAt":"2026-09-18T16:33:01Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":false}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Disney appoints Karandeep Anand as chief technology officer\", 18 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/disney-appoints-karandeep-anand-as-chief-technology-officer","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Disney appoints Karandeep Anand as chief technology officer","datePublished":"2026-09-18T16:14:26Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/disney-appoints-karandeep-anand-as-chief-technology-officer"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}