In Silicon Valley, the big honchos are always looking into hiring the up-and-comers (it’s actually a bit of a problem) and the latest high profile case of this fairly standard business practice has involved Microsoft and Discord.
Reports started to flood in a month or so back that Microsoft was looking to acquire the gaming-focused audio app, but from the sounds of it, nothing is coming from those talks. According to the Wall Street Journal, Discord has walked away from negotiations having turned down a whopping $10 billion offer.
Imagine the sense of power those folks felt when they walked out of that boardroom. Discord is still in the process of growing and while the service isn’t making a profit yet, you can imagine the kind of profit it’s expected to rake in if Microsoft is offering $10 billion for it.
(Not) spreading Discord
The report cites a source familiar with the matter, reading “Discord Inc. has halted talks to sell itself to potential suitors including Microsoft Corp.” “Suitors” is an interesting word as for a while there was also whisperings that Epic Games and Amazon were considering getting in on the deal.
As for Discord, it’ll remain an independent company for the time being which is probably for the best. The platform saw a massive boom during the pandemic and is rapidly becoming the preferred platform for gamers around the world; the more welcoming UI and simplicity of the chat app have all but kicked TeamSpeak into the gutter.
Discord is currently valued at around $7 billion which is less than what Microsoft was offering, but give it a couple of years and we could see a future where it’s worth way more than even that.
Source: Wall Street Journal