Discord Inc.
Company History
Discord History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 2015 in San Francisco, California
When was Discord founded?
Discord was founded in 2015 in San Francisco, California by Jason Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy, making it 11 years old. Discord launched on May 13, 2015.
- Founded
- 2015
- Founding place
- San Francisco, California
- Product launch
- May 13, 2015
- Founders
- Jason Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy
- Headquarters today
- San Francisco, California
- Milestones documented
- 12 (2011–2026)
- Current CEO
- Humam Sakhnini
- Acquisitions
- 3
Launch date source: Discord anniversary
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Citron sells OpenFeint to GREE |
| 2015 | Discord launches |
| 2017 | Nitro subscription launches |
| 2018 | Series D and Unicorn Valuation |
| 2020 | Rebrand beyond gaming |
| 2020 | Series E Funding |
| 2021 | Microsoft talks end, $15B valuation |
| 2021 | Acquired Sentropy |
| 2023 | Gas acquisition and Shop |
| 2024 | Layoffs and gaming refocus |
| 2025 | Humam Sakhnini becomes CEO |
| 2026 | IPO filing and global age assurance |
- Where was Discord founded?
- Discord was founded in San Francisco, California in 2015.
- When did Discord come out?
- Discord was founded in 2015. The first launch in its timeline is dated 2015: Discord launches.
- Who made Discord?
- Discord was founded by Jason Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy.
- How old is Discord?
- Discord is 11 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Jason Citron sold his mobile gaming network OpenFeint to Japan's GREE in 2011 for a reported $104 million, then founded Hammer & Chisel to make Fates Forever, a multiplayer tablet game. The game did not catch on, but the team saw that gamers struggled with existing voice tools such as Skype and TeamSpeak. Citron and engineer Stanislav Vishnevskiy built a browser-friendly, low-latency chat app instead and released Discord in May 2015. Early traction came from Reddit gaming communities and titles such as Final Fantasy XIV and League of Legends.
Founders
Jason Citron
Jason Citron co-founded Discord in 2015 and was its CEO until April 2025, when he handed the role to Humam Sakhnini and moved to the board as an advisor. He previously founded OpenFeint, a mobile gaming social network sold to GREE in 2011 for a reported $104 million, and then Hammer & Chisel, whose tablet game Fates Forever failed before the team pivoted to Discord. As CEO he led Discord through rapid pandemic-era growth, the end of acquisition talks with Microsoft in 2021, and a 17% layoff in January 2024. Jason Citron was born in 1984.
Stanislav Vishnevskiy
Stanislav Vishnevskiy is Discord's co-founder and chief technology officer. Before Discord he worked with Jason Citron and co-founded Guildwork, a gaming-guild tool. He led the engineering of Discord's low-latency voice and chat when it launched in 2015 and remains its CTO; in 2026 he publicly explained the company's age-assurance approach, saying more than 90% of users would not need to verify their age. Stanislav Vishnevskiy was born in 1989.
Key Milestones
Citron sells OpenFeint to GREE
Jason Citron sells mobile gaming network OpenFeint to GREE for a reported $104 million, funding his next studio, Hammer & Chisel.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgDiscord launches
May 13, 2015
Discord was released on May 13, 2015 by Hammer & Chisel, the studio Jason Citron had founded after selling OpenFeint. The studio and the product are separate things: Hammer & Chisel existed years earlier and shipped the iPad game Fates Forever in 2014, and only after that game failed to find an audience did the team build Discord as a low-latency voice and text app for gamers. The company later took the product's name.
Source: discord.comNitro subscription launches
Discord introduces Nitro, its paid tier, establishing a subscription-first business model.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSeries D and Unicorn Valuation
Discord raised $150 million in December 2018 at a $2 billion valuation.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgRebrand beyond gaming
Pandemic-era growth brings study groups and friend communities; Discord adopts the slogan 'Your place to talk.'
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSeries E Funding
Discord raised $100 million in June 2020 at a $3.5 billion valuation during pandemic growth.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgMicrosoft talks end, $15B valuation
Discord ends acquisition talks with Microsoft reported at more than $10 billion, raises a $500 million round at about $15 billion, and announces a PlayStation integration with a Sony investment.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgGas acquisition and Shop
Discord buys teen app Gas (shut down later in 2023), switches to unique usernames, and launches the Shop for profile cosmetics.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLayoffs and gaming refocus
Discord cuts about 17% of staff, roughly 170 people, in January, then introduces Quests ads and recommits to gaming as its core use case.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHumam Sakhnini becomes CEO
Former Activision Blizzard and King executive Humam Sakhnini succeeds Jason Citron as CEO on April 28; Orbs launch globally in July; a third-party support vendor breach in October exposes about 70,000 ID images.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgIPO filing and global age assurance
Discord files confidentially for a U.S. IPO on January 6, delays global age checks after February backlash, rolls them out to all users in September, and launches Ads Manager and Video Quests.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgMajor Acquisitions
Sentropy
2021Acquired to integrate automated machine-learning models that identify, flag, and remove digital harassment and abusive content across servers.
Gas
2023Acquired the viral poll-based positive affirmation app for high schoolers to study teen community engagement mechanics.
Ubiquity6
2021Acquired the augmented-reality startup Ubiquity6 in June 2021.
Keep researching Discord
Discord Company History FAQ
When did Discord launch?
Discord launched on May 13, 2015. Its predecessor, Hammer & Chisel, had already built the game Fates Forever before pivoting to the chat platform.
What is the chronological history of Discord from 2015 to the present?
The predecessor company, Hammer & Chisel, was incorporated in 2012 to build the game Fates Forever. After pivoting, Discord was founded and officially launched to the public in May 2015 by Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy. It quickly became the premier voice app for gamers, introduced Nitro in 2017, expanded during the 2020 pandemic to mainstream communities, rejected a $10B Microsoft buyout in 2021, and launched the Shop and AI hubs in 2023 to 2024.
When did Discord introduce video calling and screen sharing?
Discord launched 1-on-1 and group video calling and screen sharing in October 2017, allowing friends to broadcast gameplay streams and hold video calls directly inside private groups and server voice channels.
When did Discord launch the Discord Nitro subscription service?
Discord launched Discord Nitro in January 2017 as an optional $4.99/month subscription offering animated emojis, custom avatars, and larger file uploads, later expanding into Nitro Classic, Nitro Basic, and full Discord Nitro tiers.
How did Discord rebrand in 2020 from a gaming utility to a mainstream communication platform?
In June 2020, Discord unveiled a major brand overhaul with the motto 'Your Place to Talk', redesigning its onboarding, streamlining gaming jargon, and creating templates for school clubs, study groups, art communities, and friend circles.
When did Discord integrate with Sony PlayStation Network and Xbox?
Discord announced a strategic partnership with Sony in May 2021 (with Sony taking a minority stake), rolling out full voice chat integration on Xbox consoles in 2022 and PlayStation 5 consoles in 2023.
How did Discord become the birthplace of generative AI communities in 2022 to 2023?
During the generative AI boom, platforms like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Leonardo AI built their entire user interfaces inside Discord servers, hosting millions of users generating billions of AI images directly within Discord channels.
When was the Discord Avatar Shop launched?
Discord launched its digital Shop in late 2023, allowing users to personalize their profiles with permanent and seasonal avatar decorations, profile effects, and custom badges purchased with real-world currency.
What is Discord's long-term vision for the future of online human connection?
Discord's long-term vision is to create an open, joyful, and safe digital third place that brings people together around their passions, friendships, and gaming worlds without algorithmic distraction or intrusive advertising.
In what city and country was Discord founded?
Discord was founded in San Francisco, California, in the United States.
How did Discord start?
Discord was founded in 2015 by Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy. They originally ran a game studio (Hammer & Chisel) developing a multiplayer game called Fates Forever. The game failed, but the internal VoIP chat tool they built for it was so good they spun it out into a standalone company: Discord.
Related Strategic History
Compare founding milestones and corporate evolution
Explore Discord
Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.