CEO Michael Seibel Will Replace Alexis Ohanian On Reddit Board

Source: Kimberly White / Getty

It’s only been a week since Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian decided to step down and his position has already been filled. On June 5, Ohanian resigned from the board and asked that his company replace him with a Black candidate in an effort to add more diversity.

“I’ve resigned as a member of the reddit board,” the company’s co-founder announced on Twitter. “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, and I’m starting with a pledge of $1M to @kaepernick7’s @yourrightscamp”

Michael Seibel, CEO of a Silicon Valley startup accelerator Y Combinator, is filling Ohanian’s position, making him the first Black board member in Reddit’s history.

“I want to thank Steve, Alexis, and the entire Reddit board for this opportunity,” Seibel said in a statement released by Reddit on Wednesday. “I’ve known Steve and Alexis since 2007 and have been a Reddit user ever since. 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.”

Steve Huffman, co-founder and CEO of Reddit, also publicly welcomed Seibel, revealing how excited he is for him to be part of the team.

“Few people have Michael’s deep background in tech and know the challenges and opportunities we face as well as he does,” Huffman said, “so we are honored he is joining us. Not to mention, he is one of the smartest and kindest people in tech.”

Before getting where he is today, Seibel became the co-founder and CEO of Justin.tv, the interactive video platform that would later become Twitch. He ended up selling Twitch to Amazon for $970 million.