Reddit CEO Ellen Pao Resigns Citing User Revolt Leading To Death Threats From Angry Users; Original Reddit CEO Steve Huffman Returns As CEO!
The interim chief executive of Reddit, Ellen Pao, has resigned after coming under fire from the site's moderators for the sacking of one of the company's most popular employees.
One of the most highly trafficked websites in the world, Reddit made the announcement Friday, July 10 on the company's website. The announcement also named the new CEO.
"Ellen Pao resigned from reddit today by mutual agreement," Sam Altman, reddit board member and President of Y Combinator said.
"I'm delighted to announce that Steve Huffman, founder and the original reddit CEO, is returning as CEO," Altman added.
Sam even shared the link to the announcement on Twitter.
thank you ellen and welcome back steve: https://t.co/sWiFxbtqzt
— Sam Altman (@sama) July 10, 2015
Pao, who emerged as an international symbol for gender imbalance in Silicon Valley after losing a major discrimination lawsuit, is stepping down after almost eight months in the job.
Pao recently apologized for letting down users after entertainment, social networking, and news website axed its director of talent, Victoria Taylor.
Taylor was responsible for Reddit's Ask Me Anything forums. This led to a petition from users demanding Pao's removal. The petition attracted over 210,000 signatures and also lead to Pao reportedly receiving death threats from users outraged at her handling of the situation, The Guardian noted.
In order to take the sting out of any bitterness, Altman and Pao both wrote pleas for compassion after the harassment. Pao urged those who attacked her to remember that she was "just another human; I have a family, and I have feelings."
"The good, the bad and the ugly on reddit. The good has been off-the-wall inspiring, and the ugly made me doubt humanity," Pao wrote in a resignation statement.
She added, "Everyone attacked on reddit is just another person like you and me. When people make something up to attack me or someone else, it spreads, and we eventually will see it. And we will feel bad, not just about what was said."
Altman too noted that it was "sickening to see some of the things" that the site's users had written about Pao.
"The reduction in compassion that happens when we're all behind computer screens is not good for the world. People are still people even if there is internet between you," Altman wrote.
Sam added, "If the reddit community cannot learn to balance authenticity and compassion, it may be a great website but it will never be a truly great community."
He said that disagreements were not a problem, but in an apparent reference to messages sent to Pao, he noted that death threats wouldn't be tolerated and users who sent them would be banned from the site.
Another reports from The Wall Street Journal noted that according to Pao, she left citing a difference in opinion over the site's growth. The board asked her to show higher user growth than she believed Reddit could attain in the next six months.
She was a frequent target of personal attacks on Reddit since she became interim CEO in November. Several subbreddits, such as Pao Must Resign," were devoted to criticism of her. Pao's attempts to ban abusive behaviors on the site, and her loss in a drawn-out legal battle with venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers over gender discrimination, added fuel to the uproar.
Friday, July 10, Pao wrote in a post on Reddit, "I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly on reddit."
"The good has been off-the-wall inspiring, and the ugly made me doubt humanity," she added.
Altman's statement said: "We are thankful for Ellen's many contributions to Reddit and the technology industry generally. She brought focus to chaos, recruited a world-class team of executives, and drove growth.
"She brought a face to Reddit that changed perceptions, and is a pioneer for women in the tech industry. She will remain as an advisor to the board through the end of 2015. I look forward to seeing the great things she does beyond that."
Regarding Huffman, the statement said, we're very happy to have [him] back. Product and community 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 head. Steve is rejoining Alexis, who will work alongside Steve with the new title of 'cofounder'."
