Disney’s first CTO led an AI startup it once accused of copying its characters
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Disney has hired its first CTO: Karandeep Anand, former CEO of AI startup Character.AI.
It's a paradoxical appointment since Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Character.AI in September 2025, accusing them of using Disney's copyrighted characters. Character.AI allows users to create and chat with virtual characters using generative AI. New Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro selected Anand for the role, suggesting the company wants to embrace new technology. Anand previously worked at Facebook and Microsoft.
Disney has hired its first-ever chief technology officer and in a curious twist, the new executive hails from an AI startup that the Magic Kingdom previously accused of infringing on its IP.
Vibekollen prepared this summary with AI from the original publication. The content belongs to TechCrunch AI.
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