Ellen Pao Out as Reddit CEO Over Firing of a Single Employee

Reddit managed to become nearly of our online news space in the previous weeks after the sharp departure of Victoria Taylor. Taylor acted every bit the main facilitator for Inquire Me Anything (AMA) sessions and was 1 of the well-nigh prominent employees of the company. While Taylor refused to requite out any details, information technology was believed that she wasn't okay with the commercializing of AMAs that the management was interested in. With stark opposition from Reddit communities who shut down several of the site's near popular sections, today comes the big news that Ellen Pao, Reddit's Chief Executive, is leaving the company.

It is not only the Taylor's firing that has fueled the fires in the forever-polar worlds of Reddit. Pao wasn't a very favorite personality of Reddit and has remained a target of Reddit users' wrath since her taking up the position. Pao changed the company's harassment policies banning as many as v communities devoted to hate for fat people, transgender people and other groups. This was taken by the Reddit community as an attack on freedom of expression. Pao has since been taking the toll for her outspoken opinion on harassment from the community.

Steve Huffman takes up the position after Ellen Pao

However, things got a lilliputian serious when the news of Taylor'south sudden difference hit the Reddit communities. As many as 213,000 people signed up a petition to fire Pao who subsequently apologized to the communities admitting that the "mods and the community take lost trust in me and in usa, the administrators of reddit." Steve Huffman, Reddit'due south co-founder has taken over the site immediately.

In an AMA, board fellow member and Y Combinator Executive Sam Altman posted the notice of Pao's resignation:

Ellen Pao resigned from reddit today by mutual agreement. I'thousand delighted to announce that Steve Huffman, founder and the original reddit CEO, is returning as CEO.

Nosotros are thankful for Ellen'southward many contributions to reddit and the technology industry more often than not. She brought focus to chaos, recruited a world-course team of executives, and drove growth. She brought a confront to reddit that changed perceptions, and is a pioneer for women in the tech industry. She will remain as an advisor to the lath through the end of 2022. I wait forwards to seeing the great things she does beyond that.

We're very happy to have Steve back. Product and customs are the two legs of reddit, and the board was very focused on finding a candidate who excels at both (truthfully, community is harder), which Steve does. He has the added bonus of being a founder with ten years of reddit history in his caput. Steve is rejoining Alexis, who will work aslope Steve with the new title of "cofounder".

Reddit's moderators - who work voluntarily to keep the communities going - had shared their remorse over how the admins take them for granted. Responding to this business, Altman said, "Mods, you are what makes reddit corking. The reddit squad, now with Steve, wants to practise more for y'all. You deserve better moderation tools and amend communication from the admins."

"It was sickening to see some of the things redditors wrote about Ellen," Altman noted how Pao became a target for hatred cheers to the invisibility cloaks that calculator screens provide to the users. "The reduction in compassion that happens when we're all behind computer screens is not skillful for the earth. People are still people even if in that location is Internet between you."

Information technology seems likely that Reddit made the conclusion of letting become of Pao after such a revolt from the communities. However, both Pao and the management at Reddit claim that the decision has been mutual.

"We had different views in the potential growth rate in users for Reddit this year. Nosotros couldn't come to an agreement on that and I decided to step down."

When asked about her future plans in an interview this afternoon Pao said, "I am going to become some sleep. I have to effigy information technology out, simply I am going to take some time off."

Expect to see a lot of jubilation over at the Reddit communities all this weekend!