[So Discord is looking to go public](https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/07/discord-is-discussing-an-ipo/). Confused about what that might mean? Let me help! ## Stage 1 Investors go into recoup mode. Discord gives tons of discounts on Nitro and Server Boosts, then right after begins to strip away free features. This will be around where file upload sizes reduce. ## Stage 2 We are now onto aggressive advertising. Now you need Discord Nitro - or better yet, a new Discord Nitro+ that costs extra - to stop ads. Servers will only be able to hide ads on a level 1 or level 2 boost. ## Stage 3 Discord starts charging for stickers, then after that starts charge even more for emojis. ## Stage 4 At this point is usually where the Terms of Service assault begins, and APIs start costing $10,000 to use. Your music bots are cooked. Maybe Discord will charge you for one to increase their profits. :) ## Stage 5 The place that you used to look for servers will now only have sponsored servers. This is also where they'll probably try to bring back AI bullshit, if that bubble hasn't popped by this point. # Stage 6 - The Porn Ban This gets a larger header because this is truly the beginning of the end. Some psy-op campaign about youth addiction to porn on Discord will then lead to those servers getting removed - I don't have numbers, but I'd assume they're the biggest ones. Then the smaller ones get taken out next. Conveniently, this is also where Discord will start selling our porn-free data. ## Stage 7 Free users continue to get crushed, with worse streaming bitrates, fewer emoji options, and so on. I'm assuming that around here is where streaming on PlayStation or Xbox will be locked behind Nitro++, the newest tier. ## Stage Final That's it, at this point the whole thing's gone under and my assumption is that a new platform will be created that picks up steam, BlueSky style. Maybe Steam makes a competitor or something and everyone moves to that. Fighting game knowledge burns like the Library of Alexandria and we repeat the process over again.