Discord CEO Jason Citron resigns, former King president to lead as new CEO

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Discord CEO Jason Citron has resigned and will take an advisory role while the gaming chat company is led by a former Activision executive.

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It's the changing of the guard at Discord as current CEO Jason Citron announces he is stepping down. In his place will be ex-Activision Blizzard King exec Humam Sakhnini, who served in numerous high-level jobs at ABK, including being the actual president of the lucrative King segment for multiple years, as well as serving as the chief financial officer at King.

With Activision, Sakhnini helped King and Candy Crush grow over time, and it's implied that Sakhnini's know-how will help elevate Discord's value, which is critical because the company is mulling going public.

"I have some big news to share, so I'll cut right to the chase: We have hired a new CEO to lead Discord through our next chapter of growth and someday becoming a public company," Citron said in the official announcement.

"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."

It's unclear how exactly Sakhnini will shape Discord over the future, but given his pedigree and experience at King, which is a company that made its money from ads and microtransactions, it's possible the chat platform could be getting some new form of advertising in the future.

Sakhnini shared the following response on LinkedIn:

I'm incredibly excited to join Discord as CEO. Discord is a cornerstone of the gaming world-a place where millions of players, developers, and communities connect every day. What Jason Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy have built is nothing short of extraordinary: a platform with deep product-market fit and a culture that puts people and passion at the center.

It's an honor to step into this role and to work alongside Stan and the incredibly talented team at Discord as we continue to grow the business and deepen our connection with the communities we serve.

We're still just at the beginning of gaming's broader impact on entertainment and culture-and I believe Discord is uniquely positioned to help shape that future.