Humam Sakhnini is the former Activision Blizzard vice chairman.
Discord co-founder and CEO Jason Citron is stepping down, and will be replaced by former Activision Blizzard vice chairman Humam Sakhnini. The announcement was made through a press release on the Discord website on Thursday (24 April). Citron also shared the news in a blog post on the website named Passing the Torch.
“We have hired a new CEO to lead Discord through our next chapter of growth and someday becoming a public company,” Citron shared in the blog post. “I am thrilled to share that Humam Sakhnini will take on this role, and I will continue as a member of our Board of Directors and Advisor to the CEO.”
The change in leadership comes as the company looks to enter a new phase of growth, which includes plans for long-term scale and, eventually, becoming a public company.
“While my role will evolve as a board member and advisor, my commitment and love for Discord remains the same. I’ve always said that so many of my most precious memories are around games, and there are countless ones with so many of you. It’s too much to recount. But, I want to especially thank Stan for his partnership. It’s truly been an honour to bring Discord to the world together,” he shared in his blog post.
Citron started Discord with Stanislav Vishnevskiy in 2015. While Citron takes on his new advisory position, Vishnevskiy will continue as the company’s Chief Technology Officer.
Discord currently serves over 200 million monthly users, with a strong base of gamers who collectively spend billions of hours on the platform. Over the past year, the company has expanded its focus beyond subscriptions, introducing advertising, in-app purchases, and new tools for developers. The company has also been doing well financially, reporting steady growth and staying profitable for the past five quarters.
In the press release, Citron said, “Building Discord over the last decade has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life… I’m confident that passing the torch to Humam is the right evolution for Discord's future.”
Mitch Lasky, a member of Discord’s board, also noted his support for the transition and acknowledged Sakhnini’s experience within the games industry. “I believe he is the ideal leader for this new phase of Discord’s history,” he said.
Sakhnini expressed enthusiasm about the new role: “Discord stands as a massive, foundational part of the gaming ecosystem… I look forward to working with Stan and Discord's talented team to scale our business while staying true to the company's core mission.”
The incoming CEO brings over a decade of experience in the games industry. Prior to joining Discord, he served as Vice Chairman at Activision Blizzard, where he was involved in overseeing major franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush. He previously succeeded the founding CEO of King and helped lead the company to strong performance following its acquisition by Activision Blizzard.
Looking ahead: Discord’s next chapter
In an interview published by Venture Beat, Citron described the decision to step down as a natural evolution in both his personal journey and Discord’s. “Every now and then I have to ask myself. Do I hire someone and give them the work and elevate myself, or do I hire someone and–the final boss is you hire yourself out of a job.” For him, it came down to what would best serve the company as it enters a new chapter more focused on gaming. “I made the decision to hire Humam to take on the CEO role and lead Discord from a position of strength.”
He stressed that the decision wasn't driven by burnout or dissatisfaction. Instead, Citron pointed to momentum: “The company is doing really well. As you know, early last year we refocused back on the gaming market… We’ve been doubling back down on building tools for people who play games.” Citron noted his personal strengths lie in early-stage building and hinted at taking a break to spend time with his family before considering next steps.
Incoming CEO Humam Sakhnini echoed the importance of Discord’s renewed focus. “As of late it’s just that focus on gaming, really firing on all cylinders, whether it’s quests or the SDK.” He sees the current moment as one of opportunity. “Hopefully when the right time comes we’ll pick our shot, but right now we’re not solving for that specifically,” Sakhnini said, when asked about expectations around a potential IPO.
For both leaders, the heart of Discord remains its service to players and developers. “We exist because we provide an incredible service to gamers. We provide an incredible service to developers,” said Sakhnini. Citron added that the team’s culture is grounded in this mission. “We live in service of those people. That’s what gets us excited every morning."
