Handing over the reins and looking ahead

When I joined Discuss back in 2019, online qualitative research was still a brave new world. Video interviews were clunky, broadband wasn’t always your friend, and “online qual” sounded more like a side project than a movement. But the potential was there. You could feel it. Researchers just needed a way to have real conversations at scale, without losing the humanity that makes qual what it is.

Then came a global pandemic, and everything changed overnight. Suddenly, what had been a nice-to-have became the only way to listen to people. Discuss was ready for that moment and the team rose to it brilliantly. We helped the industry see that video could be just as deep, just as emotional, just as real as sitting in a focus group room. And we didn’t stop there.

Over the past few years, the pace of change has been nothing short of wild. GenAI has opened doors we couldn’t have imagined, automating the hard parts of analysis while giving researchers more time to think, to ask better questions, to actually see the people behind the data. As a result of GenAI, qual has become faster, smarter, more accessible and, oddly enough, more human.

That evolution brings us to today. Discuss and Voxco, with its Ascribe AI analytics suite, are coming together to build what we’ve all been talking about for years: a truly connected insights platform that joins the dots between empathy, evidence, and AI. Between how people feel and what the data shows.

For Discuss, this is a natural next step. We’ve spent years proving that technology can elevate human understanding, not replace it. We’ve out-innovated when it mattered, collaborated when it counted, and obsessed over helping customers find clarity in the noise. And now, by joining forces with a company we’ve long admired, we can go even further.

Personally, I couldn’t be prouder or more grateful. It’s been the privilege of my career to lead this team through such a transformative time. They’ve built something world-class, and they’ve done it with empathy, creativity, and a fair bit of grit.

As I move into an advisory role, I’m leaving Discuss in exceptionally good hands. Daniel Graff-Radford is the right leader for this next chapter. He’s someone who understands both the science and the soul of research. He sees where this industry is headed and knows how to meet the moment.

To our team, our investors, our partners, and our customers: thank you. You’ve made Discuss what it is: a place where technology meets empathy, and where voices truly get heard.

The pace will only quicken from here. But I have no doubt this team will keep leading the charge thoughtfully, responsibly, and with the same human focus that’s carried us this far.

Here’s to what comes next.

Simon Glass
Outgoing CEO and Advisor, Discuss

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Read Daniel Graff-Radford’s reflections on Discuss’ next chapter and the official announcement to see where we’re headed, together.