The Walt Disney Company Names Karandeep Anand to Newly Created Role of Chief Technology Officer

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 18, 2026--

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) today announced that Karandeep Anand will join the company as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, a newly created position, effective October 2. Anand, who most recently has served as CEO of Character.AI, will report directly to Disney Chief Executive Officer Josh D'Amaro.

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“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," said D'Amaro. “He is an expert builder and strategist, technical and product-minded, with sharp instincts for what fans actually want. He also has real enthusiasm and respect for Disney, a clear sense of where technology and creativity meet, and shares our belief that technology creates the most value when it helps people do their best work.”

As Chief Technology Officer, Anand will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product, and engineering, working across the company's segment technology teams to further modernize how Disney builds and delivers technology company-wide. Along with Anand’s appointment, a number of Character.AI’s technical team are expected to join Disney. The move comes as D’Amaro is sharpening Disney’s focus on technology as a driver of growth across the company. Since becoming CEO, D'Amaro has emphasized deepening Disney's direct relationships with fans by creating a more connected Disney experience, with Disney+ as the digital centerpiece.

“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 said. “I’m honored to join a team with such extraordinary creative talent, and 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.”

Anand led Character.AI through a period of explosive growth, building one of the most engaged consumer-AI audiences in the world, while also making user trust and safety a priority as the platform scaled. Before Character.AI, he was President and Chief Product Officer of the financial technology company Brex. He also served in several leadership roles at Meta’s Facebook, most recently as Vice President of Ads & Business Products. Earlier in his career, Anand held senior product and engineering leadership roles at Microsoft, where he worked for 15 years and was part of the team that built the Azure platform. He holds a Computer Science degree from the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad.

About The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international entertainment and media enterprise that includes three business segments: Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences.

Karandeep Anand, The Walt Disney Company

MUNICH (AP) — Harry Kane has extended his contract at Bayern Munich until 2029, a week after winning the Ballon d'Or.

The German champion announced the new deal for the England captain on Thursday after long-running talks.

Kane moved to Bayern from Tottenham in 2023 and his contract was due to run out at the end of this season.

“I feel right at home at FC Bayern. I love the club, the fans and the city of Munich. We have a fantastic team and, in Vincent Kompany, a fantastic manager," Kane said. "It makes me very proud to be part of this club. My whole family is very happy here. I was keen to stay. I’m now looking forward to the future and I want to win many more titles with this great club.”

Kane’s Ballon d’Or win last week made him the first English player in 25 years to win the soccer world’s most respected individual award, and the first from the German league in 30 years.

Kane has 156 goals in 161 games for Bayern, smashing Bundesliga records along the way, and finally winning the team trophies which eluded him in his time at Tottenham.

His haul of 73 goals for Bayern and England last season was a crucial factor in his Ballon d'Or win. After years of individual accolades but no competition wins at Tottenham, Kane won the German title with Bayern in 2024-25 and the league and cup double last season.

Soccer's biggest trophies still elude him after reaching the semifinals of the Champions League with Bayern and the World Cup semifinals with England last season.

“What began as a major transfer has, over time, become a special chapter in FC Bayern’s history,” Bayern president Herbert Hainer said. “Harry Kane lives up to every promise football has to offer, and he has secured his place in the hearts of the fans as one of the greatest figures in the sport of our time.”

The 33-year-old Kane is the second-highest all-time scorer in the English Premier League with 213 goals, 47 behind former Blackburn and Newcastle great Alan Shearer.

He will be 35 when his new contract expires, potentially leaving little time for any return to England to chase that record.

Bayern’s next game is on Saturday against Mainz in the Bundesliga.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Munich's Harry Kane, the men's Ballon d'Or winner, waves to the fans before the German Cup soccer game between Bayern Munich and 1. FC Magdeburg, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Munich, Germany. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)

Bayern Munich's Harry Kane holds the Ballon d'Or trophy ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)