How Discord Became a Developer Platform

In 2009 Discord cofounder and CEO, Jason Citron, started building tools and infrastructure for games. Fast forward to today and the platform has over 200 million monthly active users.

In this episode, Jason, alongside a16z General Partner Anjney Midha—who merged his company Ubiquity6 with Discord in 2021—shares insights on the nuances of community-driven product development, the shift from gamer to developer, and Discord’s longstanding commitment to platform extensibility.

Now, with Discord's recent release of embeddable apps, what can we expect now that it's easier than ever for developers to build?

Timecodes:
00:00 - Introduction
02:30 - From Player to Developer: Building Game Infrastructure and Early Projects
07:45 - The Evolution of Discord: The Vision for Discord in 2012 and Its Rapid Growth
11:33 - How the Discord Community Shapes the Product
15:40 - The Importance of an Open API and Developer Tools
16:59 - The Rise of Generative AI on Discord
18:48 - Discord’s Embeddable Apps
21:01 - The Future of Apps on Discord: New Genres in Gaming and Apps
34:16 - Launch of the Embedded App SDK
36:39 - Building Sustainable Businesses on Discord
44:01 - Future Outlook and Developer Aspirations

Resources:
Find Jason on Twitter:   / jasoncitron  
Find Anjney on Twitter:   / anjneymidha  

Stay Updated:
Find a16z on Twitter:   / a16z  
Find a16z on LinkedIn:   / a16z  
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/
Follow our host:   / stephsmithio  

Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.