Disney's Strategic Move: Hiring Character.AI's Workforce Amid Bankruptcy and Technology Licensing Deals

10/19/2026

Disney expects to spend about $180m over three years on the Character.AI staff it is hiring, a bankruptcy court filing shows. The sum covers pay and retention. Character Technologies, which runs...

10/19/2026

The entertainment giant hopes to get trust and safety tech, among other IP, from a startup whose chatbots dozens of states allege encouraged minors to self-harm and kill their parents.

10/19/2026

Disney is offering $20 million to license Character.AI’s software for training and running AI models. The bancrupt company's chatbot service still needs a buyer to stay online.

10/18/2026

The filing also says that the "vast majority" of Character.AI employees who were offered jobs at Disney accepted them. However, this is a stalking horse bid, so another company could come forward...