Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian Resigns From Board — Urges Company To Replace Him With A Black Candidate
On Friday, Reddit Co-founder Alexis Ohanian announced his resignation from the company’s board. In several tweets shared to his personal Instagram account, Ohanian, who is married to tennis star Serena Williams, said he was stepping down and urging the company to replace him with a black candidate.
”I co-founded @reddit 15 years ago to help people find community and a sense of belonging. It is long overdue to do the right thing. I’m doing this for me, for my family, and for my country,” Ohanian said. In his Twitter thread, he further explained, “I’ve resigned as a member of the Reddit board, I have urged them to fill my seat with a black candidate, + I will use future gains on my Reddit stock to serve the black community, chiefly to curb racial hate, and I’m starting with a pledge of $1M to @kaepernick7’s @yourrightscamp.” He added, “I believe resignation can actually be an act of leadership from people in power right now. To everyone fighting to fix our broken nation: do not stop.”
Ohanian also shared a tweet linking to his blog where he went on to explain why he made this decision: “I’m writing this as a father who needs to be able to answer his black daughter when she asks: ‘What did you do?'” Ohanian wrote.
As CNBC reports, Ohanian co-founded Reddit back in 2005. After selling the company to Conde Nast in 2006, Ohanian and co-founder Steve Huffman returned to the company full time in 2015. In 2018, he stepped back from a day-to-day role while continuing to serve on the board.
His big move comes after protests that have swept the nation in the last week in response to the killing of George Floyd. People on social media have been commending the 37-year-old for his big decision.
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— Alexis Ohanian 🧠 (@alexisohanian) June 5, 2020
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