Jason Citron (born September 21, 1984)[1] is an American businessman[2] who is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Discord, an instant messaging social platform.[3] He is also founder of OpenFeint, a social platform for mobile games.[4][5]
Jason Citron | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Citron at TechCrunch Disrupt in 2018 | |
| Born | September 21, 1984 |
| Education | Full Sail University (BS) |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2008-present |
Biography
editEarly life
editJason Citron was born on September 21, 1984, in San Francisco, California, into an Ashkenazi Jewish family with a strong business and technology background.[6][7] His grandfather played a pivotal role in his early fascination with technology by giving him his first computer.[8] By the age of 13, Citron was already proficient in programming, teaching himself QBASIC and even creating his first video game. This early exposure to technology and entrepreneurship significantly shaped his future career path.
Education
editJason Citron pursued his passion for technology by enrolling at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Game Design and Development in 2004. His time at Full Sail provided him with the technical skills and industry knowledge necessary to embark on his journey in the gaming and tech industries. The education he received laid the foundation for his future ventures, where he would combine his love for gaming with his entrepreneurial spirit.
Career
editCitron's career began with the founding of Aurora Feint, a mobile game development studio that later evolved into OpenFeint, a social platform for mobile games.[9] OpenFeint became a significant success, eventually being sold to the Japanese company GREE for $104 million in 2011.[10][11] After this, Citron founded Hammer & Chisel, a gaming company that aimed to create high-quality mobile games.[12] However, the company pivoted when Citron noticed the need for better communication tools for gamers, leading to the creation of Discord in 2015. Discord quickly became a popular communication platform, initially among gamers but later expanding to a wider audience.[13] By 2024, under Citron's leadership, Discord had grown into a multi-billion-dollar company with over 150 million active users per month.
References
edit- ^ Citron, Jason [@jasoncitron] (September 21, 2009). "Thanks everyone for all the birthday wishes. Now I'm officially old. #25 ;-)" (Tweet). Retrieved May 9, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Patel, Nilay (April 22, 2024). "Discord CEO Jason Citron on why gaming and group chats are the future of the internet". The Verge. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ "2023 TIME100 Next: Jason Citron". Time. September 13, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ "Mark Zuckerberg, Jason Citron more tech CEOs make opening remarks at child safety hearing - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ Browning, Kellen (December 29, 2021). "How Discord, Born From an Obscure Game, Became a Social Hub for Young People". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ "Discord Was Once The Alt-Right's Favorite Chat App. Now It's Gone Mainstream And Scored A New $3.5 Billion Valuation". Forbes. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ "Why a $10bn Discord sale might not be in tune with the messaging platform's fans". news.sky.com/. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ "Discord CEO Jason Citron: Net Worth, Salary, and How He Got Into Tech". marketrealist.com. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ Sielger, MG (April 17, 2009). "Indie iPhone App Developers Rallying Around OpenFeint". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
- ^ Rao, Leena (April 21, 2011). "Japanese Company GREE Buys Mobile Social Gaming Platform OpenFeint For $104 Million In Cash". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Rao, Leena (October 21, 2010). "Intel Invests $3 Million In Mobile Social Gaming Platform OpenFeint". TechCrunch. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (February 10, 2015). "Fates Forever mobile game maker Hammer & Chisel raises funding from Benchmark and Tencent". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ "How Discord, Born From an Obscure Game, Became a Social Hub for Young People". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
