# Discord: Jason Citron

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2022-03-07
- Length: 1h 25m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-07-discord-jason-citron

## Summary

Jason Citron, founder and CEO of Discord, recounts his journey from building the mobile gaming SDK OpenFeint to pivoting twice before creating the social platform Discord. He details the failure of his tablet game studio Hammer & Chisel, the strategic decision to build a PC-based communication tool using WebRTC, and the subsequent pivot away from gaming to serve a broader audience. Citron also discusses the challenges of scaling culture, handling trust and safety issues, and rejecting a $10 billion acquisition offer from Microsoft.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-07-discord-jason-citron#t=0) Introduction: Jason Citron and the Origin of Discord
- [5:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-07-discord-jason-citron#t=350) Early Life, Education, and the First Startup
- [18:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-07-discord-jason-citron#t=1090) Building and Selling OpenFeint
- [36:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-07-discord-jason-citron#t=2161) Hammer & Chisel and the Failure of Fates Forever
- [47:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-07-discord-jason-citron#t=2839) The Pivot to Discord and Early Growth
- [1:07:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-07-discord-jason-citron#t=4032) Scaling Culture, Safety, and the Microsoft Offer

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- OpenFeint (product)
- Aurora Faint (product)
- Fates Forever (product)
- Discord (product)
- Discord Nitro (product)
- Discord Store (product)
- Gree (company)
- Hammer & Chisel (company)
- Microsoft (company)
- Twitch (company)
- League of Legends (product)
- Skype (product)
- TeamSpeak (product)
- WebRTC (tool)
- Full Sail University (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Interview with the Upverter Founders - Ramiform Reciprocity Raconteurs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-09-18-interview-with-the-upverter-founders-ramiform-reciprocity-raconteurs) (The Amp Hour)
- [An Interview with Zach Barth of Zachtronics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-01-20-an-interview-with-zach-barth-of-zachtronics) (The Amp Hour)
- [Vellicate Videogame Vocation](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-04-23-vellicate-videogame-vocation) (The Amp Hour)
- [Scaling Bluesky with Paul Frazee](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-12-19-scaling-bluesky-with-paul-frazee) (Oxide and Friends)
- [T-25-007 : Valentina Ratner - Mechanical Engineer to SaaS for Hardware CEO](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-03-21-t-25-007-valentina-ratner-mechanical-engineer-to-saas-for-hardware-ceo) (TRADEOFFS)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-03-07-discord-jason-citron. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.