[Thread] Alexis Ohanian resigns from the Reddit board, urges company to fill his seat with a black candidate, pledges $1M to Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp

@alexisohanian :

@alexisohanian 2020-06-07

Context & Ripple Effects

Ohanian had already pulled back once before: in February 2018 he stepped away from daily duties at Reddit while keeping his board seat, so the resignation ends an involvement that had been winding down for two years. The timing is what matters — it lands mid-June 2020, amid the BLM protests, and pairs the exit with two concrete demands rather than a quiet departure.

First-order effects

Reddit immediately accepts the terms: within days it commits to appointing a black director and to rewriting content moderation rules that explicitly address hate, per its pledge in response to Ohanian's request.
Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp gains a $1M pledge, making Ohanian's exit a funding event for the organization as well as a governance change.

Second-order effects

The open seat gets filled fast — by June 10 Reddit names Y Combinator CEO Michael Seibel as the replacement in its pick for Ohanian's former spot, converting a symbolic vacancy into a specific new voice on the board.
The resignation starts Ohanian's broader separation from his own institutions; weeks later he leaves Initialized entirely, the firm he co-founded in 2012, as covered in his Initialized departure.

Third-order effects

The break becomes permanent history-writing: when Reddit files its S-1 in 2024, Steve Huffman narrates the company's beginnings without naming Ohanian at all, per the S-1's omission — founder schisms hardening into corporate record.
If the pattern holds, activist resignations paired with public demands become a template founders use to force board-composition and policy changes their companies would not otherwise make.

The trend: Founder exits are becoming leverage: Ohanian's resignation shows departing insiders trading their seats for binding commitments on diversity and content policy, with boards complying publicly rather than contesting.

Discussion

r/announcements Steve Huffman on reddit
Upcoming changes to our content policy, our board, and where we're going from here
@alexisohanian @alexisohanian on x
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
@ekp Ellen K. Pao on x
I am obligated to call you out: You should have shut down the_donald instead of amplifying it and its hate, racism, and violence. So much of what is happening now lies at your feet. You don't get to say BLM when reddit nurtures and monetizes white supremacy and hate all day long …
@rslashpatriots @rslashpatriots on x
“Well honey, I spent 15 years ignoring the actual racist hate subs saturating the site, including harassing and brigading other communities, then made a dumb dramatic condescending and likely illegal gesture during the one week talking about racism was the cool thing on Twitter.”…
@abusulayman @abusulayman on x
This is what it means to say I am inclusive. To share power. To no longer invite people say their truth, but to have them as part of the power group with their own truth. People talk about diversity and inclusion but they still want to be in control. This is giving up control: ht…
@drlaurench Lauren Carroll Harris on x
yes congratulations you've created an unstoppable cess pool of soft-right misogyny by monetising online white supremacist communities https://twitter.com/...
@birgittaj Birgitta on x
If you want to see how to make the concept of change into profound action? Read this thread. Massive respect at ya @alexisohanian https://twitter.com/...
@marktraphagen @marktraphagen on x
A day after Reddit co-founder resigns to give his board seat to someone Black, Reddit pledges to give mods clearer guidance and authority to ban hate and racism https://www.reddit.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@soniagupta504 Sonia Gupta on x
Assuming there is follow-through on Alexis Ohanian's plan, what he's doing is what needs to be done, but what virtually no white men ever do. De-platform themselves. Step down from positions of leadership and power and lift marginalized folks into them. Stop centering themselves.
@serenawilliams Serena Williams on x
Having diverse views on any boards is important. So proud of you Alexis. I know Olympia will be too https://twitter.com/...
@reddit @reddit on x
Read Steve's update to this week's open letter, shared today with the Reddit community. https://www.reddit.com/...
@benjysarlin Benjy Sarlin on x
This is interesting. Reddit limited its Trump fan page after widespread complaints in 2016, but for deliberately spamming the homepage with posts. Now CEO seems to suggest they should have also made its content an issue. I wrote about that move in 2016: https://www.nbcnews.com/..…
@gsiemens George Siemens on x
Reddit is a major hub of discussion and information. How they are tackling hate groups (sub reddits) will have implications for other social media. Also. Also. Good on ⁦@alexisohanian⁩ decision to step down and make room for a black board member https://www.reddit.com/...
@b_fung Brian Fung on x
.@reddit CEO Steve Huffman acknowledges that “we should have quarantined [r/the_donald] sooner,” in a longer blog post about needing to accept responsibility and the work ahead: https://www.reddit.com/...
@mtracey Michael Tracey on x
This is so cloying, rehearsed, self-serving, and melodramatic. Alexis Ohanian is a rich entrepreneur married to Serena Williams, one of the biggest sports superstars in the world, and now he's suddenly pretending to speak on behalf of the oppressed masses https://twitter.com/...
@sullivanamy Amy Sullivan on x
High-five, Alexis. More, please. Biden? https://twitter.com/...
@kimkardashian Kim Kardashian West on x
Much respect Alexis!!!!! https://twitter.com/...
@chrismessina Chris Messina on x
All of @reddit is now watching the board https://www.techmeme.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@alexisohanian @alexisohanian on x
I'm saying this as a father who needs to be able to answer his black daughter when she asks: “What did you do?” https://alexisohanian.com/...
@sifill_ldf Sherrilyn Ifill on x
“Resignation can be an act of leadership.” Read this statement from @alexisohanian who is stepping all the way up. https://twitter.com/...
@vaurorapub @vaurorapub on x
Huge credit to @ekp who advocated for changes like this at @reddit long long before it was cool https://twitter.com/...
@alexisohanian @alexisohanian on x
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. https://twitter.com/...
@aoc Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on x
Wow. This is a courageous example of the kind of material actions and commitments allies can make - shout out for walking the walk, @alexisohanian. https://twitter.com/...
@ericnewcomer Eric Newcomer on x
It feels like a moment where the free speech Silicon Valley type is growing up, having kids and rethinking some of their assumptions. Of course, not Mark Zuckerberg so much https://twitter.com/...
@christophclarey Christopher Clarey on x
Alexis Ohanian Sr., husband to Serena Williams and father to Olympia, resigns from board of Reddit, which he co-founded. “I'm writing this as a father who needs to be able to answer his black daughter when she asks: “What did you do?” Via @jasongay https://alexisohanian.com/...
@yashar Yashar Ali on x
Announcement from the co-founder of Reddit @alexisohanian...he also happens to be married to Serena Williams. https://twitter.com/...
@oneunderscore__ Ben Collins on x
This is a huge, commendable deal for a website that desperately needs it. https://twitter.com/...
@tonyromm Tony Romm on x
alexis resigning from reddit is interesting because it does not address the years in which he had a leadership role and reddit was even more of a cess pool.
@merv Merv Adrian on x
Read this thread. It's inspiring. Alexis, godspeed and hope you accomplish all that you hope for. https://twitter.com/...
@greekanalyst @greekanalyst on x
*upvotes* *gives gold* https://twitter.com/...
@hragv Hrag on x
Resigning from a board and asking your place be filled by a black candidate. 👏 Are museum board members listening? 👂🏻TY @alexisohanian for doing the right thing. https://twitter.com/...
@dpalm66 @dpalm66 on x
Ladies and gentlemen, walking the walk. https://twitter.com/...
@dylanbyers Dylan Byers on x
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian resigns from board, urges seat be filled by black candidate and says he will use future Reddit stock gains to serve black community.... https://twitter.com/...
@jnsilva_ J.N. Silva on x
Wow. This is how you take action. Thank you for always being a mentor and role model @alexisohanian 👏🏼 https://twitter.com/...

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