Discord users are sounding the alarm after the platform announced both a new CEO and its ongoing intent to become a publicly traded company. The new CEO, Sukhinder Singh Cassidy Sakhnini (name often mispronounced online), brings a concerning resume to the table — including roles at Activision Blizzard and King, the developers behind the heavily monetized mobile game Candy Crush.
Discord’s official statement highlights Sakhnini’s 15+ years of gaming industry experience, including overseeing major titles like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush. However, users worry that this leadership shift signals a darker turn for the platform — one that prioritizes monetization over community.
A History of Microtransactions
Critics point to Sakhnini’s association with franchises infamous for their aggressive microtransaction strategies. From Candy Crush’s pay-to-continue model to Call of Duty‘s controversial AI-generated art packs, his legacy has raised legitimate concerns. Some fear Discord could adopt similar tactics, introducing fees for basic features like messaging, voice calls, or even joining servers.
The fear isn’t baseless. Candy Crush, under King’s leadership, popularized time-gated gameplay that pushes players to spend to continue. Activision Blizzard, during Sakhnini’s tenure, made billions from in-game purchases — a model investors love, but communities often hate.
IPO Plans Signal Profit-First Mentality
Discord also reiterated its long-term plan to go public, a move that would make it legally obligated to act in the best interests of its shareholders — not its users. This shift could fundamentally alter Discord’s priorities. Once publicly traded, cost-cutting, ad-integration, and profit-maximizing features are almost guaranteed.
Some users speculate that former CEO Jason Citron may have been pushed out for not moving fast enough to make Discord profitable. While Discord reported positive revenue growth for the past five quarters, it has relied heavily on venture capital since its founding in 2013 — with investors still awaiting returns.
What Might Change?
The community is already bracing for an influx of:
- Paywalled features (e.g., server limits, chat limits, voice slots)
- Expanded advertising and loot-box-like mechanics
- Premium voice changers or AI-generated notification sounds
- Reduced data storage (including potential deletion of old messages)
While some of these monetization features — like Discord’s Quest system — are already in place, users fear they’ll evolve into invasive, mandatory ad experiences. With monetization pressure mounting, the once gamer-focused chat app may pivot toward broader commercial use.
Alternatives and the Future
Just as Discord once dethroned Skype, users are speculating that a new platform might rise from the ashes if Discord continues down this path. Some have pointed to Revolt, TeamSpeak, or even Steam as potential alternatives, but none have yet matched Discord’s balance of performance, ease of use, and feature set.
For now, the community watches anxiously. As one user put it, “Discord isn’t dead yet, but it’s about to start coughing.”
