Reddit Announces Michael Seibel to Replace Alexis Ohanian as First Black Board Member

Earlier last week, Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit made a surprise public announcement that he would step down as a Reddit board member and expressed his desire for a Black candidate to replace him. Ohanian acknowledged that the platform unfortunately still has existing subreddits that uplift white supremacy and racism, and admitted that taking action against these hate groups was long overdue. He also explained his major decision of stepping down was because of his daughter. He said, “I’m saying this as a father who needs to be able to answer his Black daughter when she asks: What did you do?”

After Ohanian’s public statement, the Reddit board listened and began to campaign and discuss who should take Ohanian’s place. Earlier today, Reddit announced that they’ve selected Michael Seibel, the CEO of Silicon Valley startup accelerator Y Combinator as the first Black board member in the company’s history. In addition to running the popular accelerator, Seibel also co-founded the live streaming company Justin.tv, which later became Twitch.

Seibel thanked the Reddit board and Ohanian for granting him this opportunity. He stated, “Over this period of time I’ve watched Reddit become part of the core fabric of the internet and I’m excited to help provide advice and guidance as Reddit continues to grow and tackle the challenges of bringing community and belonging to a broader audience.”

Welcome to the Reddit family, @mwseibel! Joining as our newest Board member, Michael brings an extensive background in growing social tech companies and is passionate about increasing diversity within the industry.

Read more in our latest blog. https://t.co/6Gh04xnOMA

— Reddit (@reddit) June 10, 2020

With Seibel as the newest addition to the Reddit family, the platform hopes to combat racism and inspire current and future users to utilize the platform in a civilized manner.