San Francisco: Popular teen chat app Discord has acquired Sentropy, which makes AI-powered software to spot and remove harassment and hate online, for an undisclosed sum.
Sentropy said in a statement that its focus will be on helping Discord expand and evolve its trust and safety (T&S) capabilities.
“We are excited to help Discord decide how we can most effectively share with the rest of the Internet the best practices, technology, and tools that we’ve developed to protect our own communities,” Sentropy CEO John Redgrave said in a blog post late on Tuesday.
“T&S tech and processes should not be used as a competitive advantage. We all deserve digital and physical safety, and moderators deserve better tooling to help them do one of the hardest jobs online more effectively and with fewer harmful impacts,” Redgrave added.
Discord currently has 150 million monthly active users (MAUs), a metric that continues to grow at a meteoric rate.
Sentropy has built world-class technology and products that protect communities online.
“Together, we can create belonging safely. As we have gotten to know Discord, we have been impressed by their deep commitment to safety — a commitment that extends beyond their own communities to the broader internet,” Redgrave noted.
Discord connects game companies with their fans in audio and text chat communities.
The company recently ended talks with Microsoft for its $10 billion acquisition deal, as it aims to launch an initial public offering (IPO).
Discord raised $100 million in December last year at a $7 billion market valuation.
It is in direct competition with invite-only chat app Clubhouse that has raised its market valuation to $4 billion.