Discord, Twitch, Reddit, and Steam CEOs invited to testify at “radicalization of online forum users” hearing

US Congress has sent formal letters to the CEOs of Twitch, Steam, Reddit, and Discord, inviting them to testify at a committee hearing about the “radicalization of online forum users,” following the assassination of Charlie Kirk earlier this month.

The letters were sent by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman James Comer on September 17, 2025, and were addressed to Discord Inc. CEO Humam Sakhnini, Valve Corporation president Gabe Newell, Twitch Interactive CEO Dan Clancy, and Reddit Inc. CEO Steve Huffman.

“The politically motivated assassination of Charlie Kirk claimed the life of a husband, father, and American patriot,” Comer said in the press release announcing the invitations.

“In the wake of this tragedy, and amid other acts of politically motivated violence, Congress has a duty to oversee the online platforms that radicals have used to advance political violence.

“To prevent future radicalization and violence, the CEOs of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit must appear before the Oversight Committee and explain what actions they will take to ensure their platforms are not exploited for nefarious purposes.”

The committee hearing takes place on October 8, 2025, and, according to the letters, which each have the same contents aside from the CEO’s name and business address, will “examine radicalization of online forum users, including incidents of open incitement to commit violent politically motivated acts.”

“The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the principal oversight committee of the U.S. House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate ‘any matter’ at ‘any time’ under House Rule X,” the letters read.

These invites are not subpoenas, and therefore, it’s not legally mandatory for any of these CEOs to attend. However, should they refuse, they risk being subpoenaed at a later date.

Those who agree to attend the hearing must provide their written testimony at least two days prior, with each given the opportunity to give a five-minute opening statement before being asked questions by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee members.

Reddit told Reuters it hadn’t yet found evidence that the suspect arrested in connection with Charlie Kirk’s murder, Tyler Robinson, had been active on its platform, and added that it “has strong policies against hateful content and content that incites, encourages, glorifies, or calls for violence.”

However, Discord told Reuters that it welcomes the opportunity to testify, saying: “We continuously engage with policymakers on these critical issues and look forward to continuing this important dialogue next month.”

As reported by BBC News, Discord confirmed that Robinson had sent a message in a Discord group chat in which he appeared to take responsibility for the shooting.

“It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this,” the message read, a Discord spokesperson confirmed to the BBC.

Discord told the news outlet, however, that, following an internal investigation, the company found “no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord”.

Neither Twitch nor Valve has publicly confirmed whether their CEOs will attend the hearing.

GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Twitch, Discord, Reddit, and Valve for comment on this story.