So it's typically relatively small groups of people who know each other. Most people on Discord are in invite-only servers that have less than 30 people in them. But that identity was really shaken up during the pandemic. And it's great for playing games together, studying homework, hosting an online book club or even a karaoke night.ĭiscord started in 2015 mainly as a videogame community. You can text chat, voice chat, video chat seamlessly, switch between them on your phone or on your desktop. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.ĭiscord is a place for people to talk and hang out with their community and friends. Those wary about the intrusive data-tracking practices of many leading social media apps say not being carefully monitored by advertisers is a major draw.ĭiscord CEO Jason Citron talked to NPR about the company breaking out of its gaming roots during the pandemic, the future of the app and the challenges ahead.
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It doubled its users during the pandemic, with nearly 150 million worldwide now using the chat app every month.Īnd now, the rapid growth has caught the attention of Microsoft, which is reportedly in talks to acquire Discord for $10 billion.ĭiscord is not supported by advertisements, instead relying on subscriptions for add-ons to the free service like better streaming quality and niftier emojis to generate revenue.
What started as a community for gamers has in the past year become a hub for virtually everything: conferences, karaoke, book clubs, group therapy, homework help, sneaker trading and analyzing Wall Street stocks.
Social networking platform Discord is having a moment. Discord's active monthly users have doubled in the pandemic and Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy the company. Discord chief executive Jason Citron talked to NPR about his chat app and his plans.