company

Disney

US entertainment and media company

Startups · 19 Oct 2026Disney to hire majority of Character.AI staff for $60M in annual compensation, court filing reveals

A legal filing has revealed that Disney has agreed to make employment offers to at least 60 of Character.AI's employees, the majority of the workforce, with an estimated $60 million in annual compensation, following the chatbot startup's bankruptcy filing earlier this week. The agreement, which also includes a $20 million asset acquisition, is structured as a stalking horse bid, meaning another company could still come forward with a higher offer.