US Chat Platform: Discord Aims for IPO

The chat platform Discord has filed a confidential application for an Initial Public Offering (IPO). This is reported by the news agency Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter. An IPO refers to the initial placement of shares on a stock exchange. Discussions are ongoing. Discord can still decide not to proceed with the IPO.

It became known last March that Discord was working with major US banks Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase to prepare for an IPO. Representatives of both banks declined to comment on the matter, writes Bloomberg.

In September 2021, Discord was valued at $15 billion in a funding round. A few months earlier, the company rejected an acquisition offer from Microsoft. The US tech giant had offered more than $10 billion for the chat platform. Even then, there was talk of Discord going public instead, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

More Than Gaming

According to its figures, Discord is one of the largest platforms for text, voice, and video chats with over 200 million active monthly users. It is particularly popular among gamers and programmers. Every month, users of the platform spend over 1.9 billion hours together playing computer games.

The chat platform was launched in 2015 with a focus on multiplayer games and offers most of its features for free. Although gaming remains a central role, there are now several thousand user-created servers on diverse topics such as music, science and technology, AI applications, or education. heise also operates its Discord community.

(rah)