Discord Inc.

Who owns Discord?
Discord Inc. is privately owned by founders Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy and venture capital investors. Jason Citron serves as CEO. The company declined a reported $12 billion acquisition offer from Microsoft in 2021 and remains independent.

How does Discord make money?
Discord generates revenue primarily through Discord Nitro, a paid subscription service offering premium features, and through server boosts and cosmetic items in the Discord Shop. The platform is free for most users.

Is Discord publicly traded?
No, Discord is privately held. The company was valued at approximately $15 billion in its 2021 funding round but has not gone public.

How many users does Discord have?
Discord has approximately 600 million registered users and approximately 150 million monthly active users as of 2024.

Did Microsoft try to buy Discord?
Yes, Microsoft reportedly offered to acquire Discord for approximately $12 billion in early 2021. Discord declined the offer, choosing to remain independent and pursue its own growth strategy.

Discord was founded in 2015 by Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy. Citron had previously founded OpenFeint, a mobile gaming social network that was acquired by GREE for $104 million in 2011, and Hammer & Chisel, a game development studio. Discord grew out of Hammer & Chisel's internal communication tools.

The founders identified a gap in the market for a communication platform designed specifically for gamers: existing options like Skype and TeamSpeak were either too complex, too expensive, or had poor audio quality. Discord launched in May 2015 as a free platform with high-quality voice chat, text channels, and a clean user interface.

Discord grew rapidly through word-of-mouth among gaming communities. The platform's combination of free voice chat, text channels, and server organization (allowing communities to create multiple channels for different topics) proved highly appealing. Discord became the dominant communication platform for gaming communities within a few years of launch.

Discord raised successive funding rounds as it grew: $20 million in Series A (2016), $50 million in Series B (2017), $150 million in Series C (2018), and $100 million in Series D (2020). The company's valuation grew from approximately $1.65 billion in 2020 to approximately $7.3 billion in December 2020.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Discord's user base expanded significantly as people sought online community and communication tools. The platform expanded beyond gaming to serve education, business, and social communities.

In March 2021, Discord raised $500 million at a valuation of approximately $15 billion. Around the same time, Microsoft reportedly offered to acquire Discord for approximately $12 billion, but Discord declined, choosing to remain independent.

Discord has continued to expand its platform with features including Stage Channels (for large-audience audio events), Forum Channels, and monetization tools for server creators. The company has also expanded its Nitro subscription service, which offers premium features.

In 2023, Discord underwent significant layoffs, reducing its workforce by approximately 17% (approximately 170 employees) as part of a broader effort to reduce costs and improve profitability.

Discord has implemented sustainability and ethics initiatives focused on environmental responsibility, digital safety, and community well-being. The company operates primarily through cloud-based infrastructure, partnering with data center providers that utilize renewable energy sources to minimize the environmental impact of its global communication platform.

Environmental sustainability efforts include optimizing server efficiency and implementing energy-efficient coding practices to reduce the carbon footprint of voice and video communication services. Discord's cloud-based model eliminates the need for physical hardware distribution, reducing electronic waste and transportation emissions.

In digital ethics, Discord has established comprehensive community guidelines and content moderation policies to create safer online environments. The company employs AI-powered moderation tools combined with human moderators to detect and remove harmful content, including extremist material, harassment, and age-inappropriate content.

Discord maintains strict privacy standards, implementing end-to-end encryption for direct messages and providing users with granular privacy controls. The company has been transparent about its data handling practices and complies with global privacy regulations including GDPR and CCPA.

The company has also implemented initiatives to promote positive online communities, including educational resources about digital citizenship, partnerships with mental health organizations, and tools to help server administrators create safer community spaces.

Discord has received significant recognition for its innovative communication platform, user experience design, and community-building impact.

• Webby Awards (2022-2025): Multiple awards for Best Social Platform and Best Community Building, recognizing Discord's excellence in digital communication and community engagement.
• Fast Company Most Innovative Companies (2021-2025): Consistent inclusion for revolutionizing online communication and community building, particularly praised for server-based organization model.
• Crunchies Awards (2020 and 2021): TechCrunch's awards for Best Communication Platform and Fastest Growing Social App, highlighting Discord's rapid user growth and market impact.
• Golden Joystick Awards (2021): Best Gaming Community Platform, recognizing Discord's dominant position in gaming communication.
• Steam Awards (2020-2023): Multiple years recognized as Best Communication Tool for Gaming Communities by Steam users.
• PC Gamer Awards (2022): Platform of the Year for gaming communication and community building.

Discord has faced significant criticism regarding content moderation, particularly regarding the presence of extremist communities, child safety issues, and harassment. The platform has been used by extremist groups to organize, and Discord has faced pressure to improve its moderation practices.

In 2023, Discord faced scrutiny following the leak of classified US military documents by a Discord user (Jack Teixeira) who had shared them in a private Discord server. The incident raised questions about Discord's content moderation and its ability to detect the sharing of sensitive information.

Discord has also faced criticism for its handling of NSFW (not safe for work) content and for the presence of age-inappropriate content accessible to minors.