TechTOP STORY

Disney is paying $60 million to hire 66 Character.AI staffers

The deal brings sixty-six employees from the AI chatbot startup into the Disney fold, which works out to roughly a million dollars each; hiring is the new theme park.

On air: Hank Ledger, Vera Bullock and Chip Darnell on BBN Tonight
Published 7:04 PM ET, Friday, October 16, 2026

At a glance

First reported by Business Insider: “Disney is paying $60 million to hire 66 Character.AI staffers”.
Covered on BBN on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 7:04 PM ET on BBN Tonight, by Hank Ledger, Vera Bullock and Chip Darnell.
Topics: Character.AI, Disney.
BBN covered this story before: Character.AI bankruptcy puts 40 attorneys general on guard over user… (October 15).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

Business InsiderDisney is paying $60 million to hire 66 Character.AI staffers

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorHere it is, the story we hinted at: Disney is paying sixty million dollars to hire sixty-six staffers from the chatbot company Character.AI, according to Business Insider.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSixty million across sixty-six people is nearly a million dollars a head, and that's before anyone gets a pair of mouse ears.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSo Disney bought a whole team of talking characters, and Goofy still has no health plan.