Discord CEO steps down and will be replaced by the former head of Candy Crush Saga

The Discord blog has revealed that the company's CEO Jason Citron is stepping down. He will be replaced by Humam Sakhnini, the former head of the King studio, which develops the mobile game Candy Crush Saga.

Jason Citron is the co-founder of Discord and has been CEO since the first day of the company's existence. He created the messenger together with developer Stanislav Vishnevsky. As of 28 April 2025, Citron will step down as CEO and hand over management of the company to Humam Sahnini, who will also join the board of directors. At the same time, Citron will remain a member of the board and will move to the position of advisor to the CEO. Vishnevsky will continue to hold the position of technical director.

It is noted that Sahnini has over 15 years of experience in the gaming industry. For about 10 years he worked at Activision Blizzard. In 2016, the company bought mobile game development studio King and appointed him as CFO. In 2019, Sahnini was promoted to CEO of the studio. King is famous for the three-in-a-row puzzle game Candy Crush Saga.

Discord isn't giving an official reason for the reshuffle, but Citron noted in an interview that Sahni's hiring is a step toward going public. At the same time, the founder emphasises that the team has no concrete plans.