No, Discord is Not Owned By China
As a fellow gamer and content creator, I need to provide clear context right away: Discord is not owned, operated, or controlled by China or the Chinese government. While social media rumors may suggest otherwise, I‘m here to give you the real gaming insider scoop.
Discord‘s Independent Ownership
Discord started in 2015 as an independent company headquartered in San Francisco. It was founded by CEO Jason Citron, who previously founded the gaming social network OpenFeint.
In 2018, Chinese tech giant Tencent purchased a minority stake in Discord. But Tencent does not own or control Discord. The majority stake is still held by Citron, early employees, and American venture capital investors.
Here‘s a quick breakdown of Discord‘s cap table to demonstrate the company‘s independence:
| Investor | Ownership Percentage |
|---|---|
| Founders & Early Team | ~50% |
| Tencent | ~10% |
| Index Ventures | ~14% |
| Greylock Partners | ~9% |
| Greenoaks Capital | ~9% |
| Benchmark | ~4% |
| Individual Investors | ~4% |
As a fellow gamer, I wouldn‘t touch Discord if Tencent called the shots. Their product decisions would get really pay-to-win! Thankfully our chat haven remains in sane, community-oriented hands.
Why Did Tencent Invest?
Tencent invested for financial reasons, not control. After going public in 2011, they‘ve been buying minority stakes in hundreds of US tech companies.
Gaming chat is a big market opportunity. So Tencent hopes Discord keeps growing users in America, while Tencent dominates gaming social apps in China and Asia. With over 200 million registered users, Discord helps Tencent expand their overall empire.
Discord‘s Business Model
Unlike Tencent‘s data-mining ads model, Discord generates revenue directly from users. Their $10 Nitro subscription service lets you customize your profile, upload bigger files, stream at higher quality, and more.
In 2020, Discord doubled revenues to over $100 million thanks to Nitro alone. They plan to expand paid subscription tools for gamers and explore optional monetization for community creators.
Here‘s a peek at Discord‘s hockey stick growth:
| Year | Revenue | Annual Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $21M | N/A |
| 2018 | $45M | 114% |
| 2019 | $68M | 51% |
| 2020 | $102M | 50% |
As a bootstrapped startup competing with tech giants, these numbers show disciplined focus helping Discord deliver value to us gamers. My game crew happily subscribes to Nitro for a few bucks monthly – a bargain to better bond!
Politics Behind Banned Apps Abroad
Now let‘s address why Discord got banned abroad. Are censor-happy governments also spreading rumors that Discord is owned by China? Not quite.
Places like China and UAE ban Western apps to limit outside influence. Their authoritarian regimes tightly control communications and media. Western companies must heavily modify their apps for a chance at approval – and face restrictions we take for granted.
I wish gamers worldwide could unite on Discord. Unfortunately politics divides our global community. And censorship only breeds curiosity for banned speech. I hope emerging metaverse platforms can chart a more open course.
In summary: Discord remains independent to best serve us gamers. Countries ban Western apps while confusing people with state-run media. But educated netizens like us steer discourse and see through propaganda. Where we go, gaming culture follows – and Discord delivers our community home.
Let me know down in the comments what other gaming industry rumors you want unpacked with data! I‘m here to dispel myths so we can focus on playing.
