“We are thankful for Ellen’s many contributions to Reddit and the technology industry generally”, Sam Altman, a member of Reddit’s board, wrote on the site Friday. Huffman and Alexis Ohanian – the other founder of Reddit – will be returning to the business’s headquarters in San Francisco as full-time workers.
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“We’re very happy to have Steve back”, Altman wrote. For weeks, Reddit users have used extreme insults against Pao, comparing her to tyrants. In her place will be the original CEO of Reddit, Steve Huffman.
However, that libertarian spirit has also led to openly hostile attacks, some of whom had been directed against pao in recent days. Everyone attacked on reddit is just another person like you and me. “If the Reddit community can not balance authenticity and compassion, it may be a great website but it will never be a great community”, Altman said.
Reddit rarely policed its users for vitriolic or obscene behavior before Pao came aboard.
“Disagreements are fine. Death threats are not, are not covered under free speech, and will continue to get offending users banned”, Altman added. Reddit’s problem is Reddit.
It appointed Ms Pao as chief executive only eight months ago.
“It became clear that the board and I had a different view on the ability of Reddit to grow this year”, she said. “‘They had a more aggressive view than I did, ‘ she said”.
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Redditors directed fierce criticsim at Pao following a decision to dismiss Victoria Taylor, the director of talent and an employee popular among the volunteers who moderate the site’s many “subreddits” or subsections. The mods and the community have lost trust in me and in us, the administrators of reddit.
