Disney’s 1st CTO once led an AI startup accused of copying its characters

Walt Disney hired Indian-origin techie Karandeep Anand as its first Chief Technology Officer (CTO), who is the former CEO of the startup Character.AI. In 2025, Disney accused the startup of "blatantly infringing" its copyrights and sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding the removal of Disney characters. The startup lets users create virtual characters with generative AI and interact with them.