A Windows-focused news site says Discord now runs on about 70% less memory, even with two accounts signed in. We could not verify that figure, and it is not clear whether Discord has actually moved off Electron.
Here is what the source material supports. The site's headline argues that every Windows 11 app should drop Electron and says Discord "just showed why." The article's web address adds two specifics: no starting screen, and the 70% RAM reduction. The material we reviewed includes no test method, hardware, build number, or before-and-after measurements. It also includes no statement from Discord about what changed. The piece drew 192 points and 192 comments on Hacker News, which shows interest but says nothing about accuracy.
The argument matters because of what Electron is. The framework packages a web app together with its own copy of Chromium, the engine behind Chrome, so every Electron app effectively ships a private browser. That design is the usual explanation for why chat apps hold on to so much memory. The alternatives are native code, or a web view that shares one browser engine across the system. Either would trim the overhead.
If a 70% drop holds up, it would be large for an app many people leave open all day. But RAM numbers swing with what is loaded and when it is measured, so a single unexplained figure proves little. A smaller footprint could come from dropping Electron, or from changes inside an app that still uses it.
What would settle it is a plain statement from Discord on what changed, plus independent measurements on the same machine with the same accounts. Until one of those exists, the open question is whether this is an architecture change or a trimmed-down build.