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: Find Anjney on Twitter: Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: Find a16z on LinkedIn: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: Follow our host: 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