Disney agreed to pay $60 million to 66 employees from an AI startup that filed for bankruptcy, weeks after tech layoffs

Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro plans to hire employees from Character.AI, where new tech chief Karandeep Anand worked. Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Manaure Quintero / AFP via Getty Images Disney plans to pay $60 million to hire 66 employees from Character.AI, which filed for bankruptcy. Former Character.AI Karandeep Anand is Disney's new chief technology officer. CEO Josh D'Amaro's company laid off tech staffers in September in its third round of cuts this year. Disney is paying up for employees from an AI chatbot startup that filed for bankruptcy, shortly after trimming its own tech workforce. The Mouse House plans to pay $60 million per year to 66 workers from Character.AI, according to a Chapter 11 filing on Tuesday from its parent company. In mid-September, Disney hired Character.AI CEO Karandeep Anand to be its first-ever company-wide tech chief . (The company hasn't yet disclosed how much it's paying Anand.)