Disney agrees to hire the majority of Character.AI’s workforce - TechCrunch

Disney has agreed to make employment offers to at least 60 Character.AI employees, the majority of the company's workforce, according to a legal filing reported by Bloomberg and covered by TechCrunch. The filing states that the offers carry an estimated $60 million in annual compensation. The excerpt does not state the terms of any acquisition of Character.AI itself, nor whether the company continues to operate independently or retains staff who were not offered roles.

The filing states that the 'vast majority' of Character.AI employees who were offered jobs at Disney accepted them. TechCrunch reports that the 60 employees represent the majority of Character.AI's workforce, a figure described in the filing as 'at least' 60. The filing does not break down compensation by role, seniority or title, and the excerpt does not specify start dates, locations, or which part of Disney the employees would join. The $60 million is described as an estimate of annual compensation for the group.

According to TechCrunch, the arrangement was disclosed through a legal filing rather than a public announcement, and Bloomberg identified the filing. The article states that Disney agreed to make the offers and that the majority of those offers were accepted; it does not describe how the arrangement was negotiated or whether any payment was made to Character.AI itself. The report places the total at an estimated $60 million in annual compensation for at least 60 employees, with the 'vast majority' of those offered positions accepting.