We initially planned to build a chat app for gaming, but we thought we could bootstrap it through a game. When the game failed, we realized we could launch the chat app directly instead.

When we launched our game 'Fates Forever' in 2014, it was a competitive multiplayer game on iPad, but it didn't succeed for various reasons, leading us to pivot.

The initial thesis for Discord was that a durable gaming company needed an established distribution advantage, leading to the creation of a group chat app for gamers.

In the early days, investors rejected our multiplayer game idea because they doubted its potential for success, which ultimately led us to pivot to Discord.

After we fully committed to Discord, we figured out how to make it work within four weeks, demonstrating the importance of focus and conviction in a startup.

We realized pretty quickly that even though we focused on specific games, people were using Discord for all kinds of multiplayer gaming.

Laying off a third of the company was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it was necessary to focus our efforts on Discord.

We realized that existing communication tools like TeamSpeak and Skype were not effectively serving the gaming market, which created an opportunity for Discord.

The launch of Discord coincided with the rise of WebRTC technology, which allowed us to reduce friction and improve interoperability in our communication platform.