Alexis Ohanian is stepping down from his position at Reddit, as a way to “curb racial hate.”
In a clip uploaded to social media, the co-founder of Reddit explained his reasoning for leaving the company, despite helping launch it 15-years-ago.
“I co-founded Reddit 15 years ago to help people find community and a sense of belonging,” Ohanian explained. “It is long overdue to do the right thing. I’m doing this for me, for my family, and for my country. I’m saying this as a father who needs to be able to answer his black daughter when she asks: “What did you do?” I have resigned as a member of the Reddit board, I have urged them to fill my seat with a black candidate, and I will use future gains on my Reddit stock to serve the black community, chiefly to curb racial hate.”
Ohanian also revealed that he is pledging $1 million to Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp.
“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 concluded.
Ohanian’s wife, Serena Williams, shared her support for her husband’s decision, by retweeting his resignation announcement on her Twitter page.
“So proud of your commitment to not just me but to “us,” Williams wrote. “Having diverse views on any boards is important. So proud of you, Alexis. I know Olympia will be too.”
Ohanian’s announcement to step down, comes just a few days after Reddit’s former CEO Ellen Pao, blasted the company online, following a letter co-founder and current CEO, Steve Huffman sent out to staff and shared on social media, for supposedly being against racism amid protests for #GeorgeFloyd.
“We do not tolerate hate, racism, and violence, and while we have work to do to fight these on our platform, our values are clear,” Huffman stated in the letter.
“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,” Pao wrote on Twitter. “You don’t get to say BLM when Reddit nurtures and monetizes white supremacy and hate all day long.”
