Disney’s first CTO led an AI startup it once accused of copying its characters

In Brief

Disney has hired its first-ever main exertion serviceman and successful a funny twist, the caller enforcement hails from an AI startup that the Magic Kingdom antecedently accused of infringing connected its IP.

Karandeep Anand is the erstwhile CEO of Character.AI, a institution that has weathered numerous ineligible problems since it was founded successful 2021. One of those ineligible problems arose successful September 2025, erstwhile Disney sent the institution a cease and desist letter accusing it of infringing connected its beloved characters.

Character.AI allows users to make chiseled virtual characters with generative AI and speech and interact with them. Disney antecedently claimed that the institution was hosting copyrighted characters from its franchises.

In summation to Disney’s accusations, Character.AI has besides been sued implicit allegations that the company’s chatbots encouraged users to perpetrate self-harm and suicide.

Variety reports that Anand was chosen for the relation by caller Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, who took implicit aft erstwhile institution main Bob Iger stepped down successful March. The hiring suggests D’Amaro wants the institution to clasp caller technologies.

Anand formerly served arsenic a committee advisor to Character earlier becoming CEO successful May 2025, according to his LinkedIn profile. He besides worked astatine Facebook betwixt 2015 and 2021 and, earlier that, spent 15 years astatine Microsoft.

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