Reddit Co-founder Ohanian steps down from board, wants a black candidate to replace him

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has announced that he will be stepping down from the company’s board and has asked to be replaced by a more diverse choice. Ohanian, in a series of tweets, said that he is trying to set an example for other leaders and those in positions of influence and urged the remaining members of the board to replace him with a black candidate.

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'Setting an example'

Alexis Ohanian, who is married to tennis star Serena Williams, claimed that his family played a big role in influencing his decision to step down. He explained that as a father he wants to be able to look into his daughter’s eyes and proudly answer her when she asks what he did to battle racial inequality. Ohanian also announced that he will be donating $1 million to Colin Kaepernick's nonprofit Know Your Rights Camp while adding that future profits made on his Reddit stocks will be used to help the black community and help fight racial inequality.

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Take a look at the tweet thread here:

Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman in a Reddit post said that he will honour Alexis Ohanian’s wish and also thanked him for the gesture as well as his years of service to Reddit. The Reddit board, including Alexis, chairs four white men and one woman.

Reddit in the past has been criticised multiple times and has been accused of being a breeding ground of hate, prejudice and racism. Huffman in the past has personally come under fire for not taking strict actions against communities in Reddit that propagate racist views and unacceptable language. In his latest Reddit post, Huffman reiterated that Reddit as a platform does not tolerate hate, racism, and violence and while the site has a long way to go at tackling these issues, their values have been clear from the beginning.

As a tribute to the anti-racism protests in the United States and the death of George Floyd, Reddit has changed the colour of its icon from the regular orange to black.

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