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

# Disney Hires Executive from AI Company It Once Sued Disney just appointed a new chief technology officer who previously ran Character.AI, a startup that Disney had actually threatened to shut down a few years ago for allegedly copying Disney characters. The move is surprising because it shows Disney going from viewing the AI company as a threat to bringing its leadership into the fold—likely because Disney now sees value in what the company knows about AI technology.