Disney names Adam Smith streaming chairman and hires Karandeep Anand as CTO

The Walt Disney Company announced two leadership changes in its streaming and technology operations in mid-September 2026. On September 17, it named Adam Smith Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer, Disney Entertainment. On September 18, it named Karandeep Anand to the newly created role of chief technology officer.

A new head for Disney+ and Hulu

According to Disney's announcement, Smith will oversee Disney+ and Hulu, including product, engineering, advertising technology, programming strategy, viewer experience, partnerships, and data and analytics. Disney said he is responsible for the company's global entertainment subscription streaming business.

Smith joined Disney in 2024. He previously served as Co-President, Direct-to-Consumer and Chief Product and Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN. Before Disney, he spent more than 20 years in executive roles at Google and YouTube, the company said. He reports to Dana Walden, President and Chief Creative Officer of The Walt Disney Company, and to Alan Bergman.

Walden said in the announcement: "Over the past two years, Adam has done an exceptional job building a world-class team of product and technology leaders." Smith said the company's goal is to "make Disney+ the connection point for fans everywhere to engage with the full breadth and depth of the broader Disney ecosystem."

Joe Earley's new role

In the same announcement, Disney said Joe Earley, who had shared the direct-to-consumer co-president title, will become President, Disney Entertainment Television Franchise and Content Strategy. Disney said he will lead the strategic development of its television franchises and oversee content and production for international originals, as well as labor relations and creative talent development.

Earley joined Disney in 2019 to oversee Disney+ global marketing and operations and was named President of Hulu in 2022, according to the company. He reports to Walden and Debra O'Connell.

A new chief technology officer role

On September 18, Disney said Karandeep Anand will join as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, starting October 2, 2026, and reporting to CEO Josh D'Amaro. Anand was most recently CEO of Character.AI. Disney said he previously served as President and Chief Product Officer at Brex, as a vice president at Facebook, and spent 15 years at Microsoft, including work on the Azure platform.

Disney said Anand will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product and engineering across the company. It also said some Character.AI technical staff are expected to join Disney.

D'Amaro said: "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."

Why it matters

Disney describes Smith's role as covering its global entertainment streaming business, and the changes put a single executive in charge of both services' product and programming strategy. Together with a new company-wide technology chief reporting directly to the CEO, the moves show Disney placing technology and streaming leadership closer to the top of the company under D'Amaro.

Sources

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.