Building the Third Place

This episode is brought to you by:

Microsoft for Startups. Microsoft for Startups is a global program dedicated to helping “enterprise-ready” B2B startups successfully scale their companies. If you’re a founder running a B2B company targeting the enterprise, you should definitely check them out.

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[00:03:17] – Lessons from his time as a video game developer

[00:07:58] – Going from game developer to game development platform

[00:12:23] – From his first startup to Discord

[00:16:33] – Expressing the hypothesis of discord

[00:20:10] – How to know what signal to build upon

[00:22:11] – Early adoption of Discord

[00:26:17] – Getting the word out about Discord in the early days

[00:30:43] – Creating more than just a platform, but creating a third place for people to congregate

[00:32:55] – The evolution and expansion of the types of communities using their platform

[00:37:27] – Discord’s business model and how it’s evolved

[00:41:32] – Enhancing communication through Nitro

[00:45:05] – Big principles for company building at Discord

[00:51:22] – His thoughts around competitive advantage for the platform

[00:52:55] – Creating a holistic experience for the users

[00:55:45] – What bothers him the most when hiring

[00:57:47] – Kindest thing anyone has done for him