Reddit has named Y Combinator partner Michael Seibel to
its board of directors.
Seibel -- who also serves as CEO of Y Combinator’s startup accelerator program -- is replacing Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian. He recently resigned from the board in protest of the company’s failure to rein in racist rancor on its platform.
Ohanian requested that his position be filled
with a black candidate.
Reddit has long been a bastion for uncivil discourse. Yet, the civil-rights movement sparked by the killing of George Floyd has forced it and other popular platforms to
reconsider their content policies.
Last week, Reddit’s former CEO Ellen K. Pao publicly criticized the
platform for “amplifying” racist voices.
In response to Ohanian’s resignation, Reddit cofounder-CEO Steve Huffman said the company was working diligently to reduce the amount
of hate and racism on its platform.
“We are already working to fix these problems, and this is a promise for more urgency,” he promised.
In a
statement, Seibel only vaguely alluded to the circumstances that led to his appointment. “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,” he said.
In a tweet, Ohanian expressed his support
of Seibel’s appointment: “He is a strong leader who will make a great addition to the board.”
As recent surveys of Reddit’s platform make clear, Huffman and
the company’s board clearly have their work cut out for them.
Seibel previously led Justin.tv as CEO from 2007 to 2011, and then co-ounded and served as CEO of social video app
Socialcam.
Since joining Y Combinator in 2013, he has helped facilitate the funding and advisement of more than 1,800 startups. He was named CEO of Y Combinator’s accelerator program in
2016.