Discord to File Confidentially for IPO(bloomberg.com)
bloomberg.com
Discord to File Confidentially for IPO
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-06/chat-platform-discord-is-said-to-file-confidentially-for-ipo
5 comments
i'm worried they'll start making user unfriendly changes, like more ads, to meet investor demands for increased profits. overall it's a great product which i use everyday and i'm happy for them.
unfortunately, the user-unfriendly changes started years ago, especially around 2023. Having used it since 2016, you can tell that post covid is when they shifted from consumer-focused to revenue-focused; just look at how many people are outraged by the appearance of embedded ads, game "quests", nitro feature-stealing, discord profile purchasable customizations, and (one that not many people talk about) trendy corporate habits like year recaps and T&C changes.
Given their per user pricing model, who's going to pay for this for any given community? Discord is mostly popular in communities where self-organized funding would be realistic.
Zulip's product lead here. Communities are eligible for a free Community plan if they self-host, and there are discounts and sponsorships available for Zulip Cloud as well.