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[Guevara]

Ellen Pao is stepping down as Reddit CEO, a move that comes amid mounting pressure after a series of management mishaps that has angered its very vocal online community. Steve Huffman, Reddit co-founder and original CEO, is taking over immediately.

In an interview this afternoon, Pao said the departure was a “mutual decision” with the board, due in part to different views on growth potential. “They had a more aggressive view than I did,” she said.

When I asked her directly if she was fired, Pao laughed and said, “Thanks for getting right to the point,” after which Reddit board member and Y Combinator head Sam Altman answered more definitively, “no.”

Perhaps it is a matter of semantics, as it seemed that Pao — who has been interim CEO at the company — was inevitably headed for the exit after the ire over the firing of a support staffer for the site’s many moderators morphed and mutated into a loud and sometime vile calls for her ouster.

http://recode.net/2015/07/10/pao-out-as-reddit-ceo-co-founder-huffman-takes-over/

Ms. Pao said she ultimately left after a difference in opinion over Reddit’s growth. The board asked her to show higher user growth in the next six months than she believed Reddit could attain.

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/07/10/ellen-pao-is-out-as-ceo-of-reddit/

 

[PROh1bited]

GOOD.

 

[xxracerxx]

Have the Chairman Pao jokes stopped then?

 

[soundahfekz]

it was inevitable

 

[CarpeDeezNutz]

Whoa, I thought everything was settled over there, like it was just a small group who hated her.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Have the Chairman Pao jokes stopped then?

This a rhetorical question?

 

[kris.]

Good. Didn't think it'd happen anytime soon, but yeah.

 

[Dennis]

VICTOLY

 

[Alienous]

That was quite the saga.

Welp, I wish her the best with her ... lawsuit? Maybe she has other work lined up.

 

[McDougles]

Reddit wins, Redditors lose (in the long run).

Lesson learned; leave enough racist and sexist messages and you can get anything you want.

 

[Delta Assault]

All the munchkins in Oz just broke out into song.

 

[Exotoro]

Mixed feelings.

 

[Guevara]

Good to remember she was only ever supposed to be interim CEO. Obviously she wanted to cling on.

 

[marrec]

This is not surprising.

Hopefully the good moves she made won't be undone with the bad moves.

 

[KINGofCRA5H]

WE DID IT!!!


-Reddit

 

[JDSN]

VICTOLY

What is this?

 

[Einchy]

WE DID IT REDDIT

 

[Angelus Errare]

Have the Chairman Pao jokes stopped then?

Has racism suddenly disappeared?

 

[sometimes i game]

YES GOODBYE PAO

QUESTION IS WILL SHE SUE THIS TIME TOO?

 

[SteveO409]

Whoa, I thought everything was settled over there, like it was just a small group who hated her.

Last time I saw the petition was at 150k+ for her to step down and that was a few days ago

 

[Wreav]

What is this?

 

[IISANDERII]

 

[Primus]

Welp, time to step off of Reddit for the weekend. I can already hear the gibbering starting in earnest.

 

[Arkeband]

I wonder if she's regretting taking the weekend off to talk to news organizations instead of... the people who keep her site relevant.

 

[Stumpokapow]

GOOD.

The OP suggests that the board wanted to make money more aggressively and she stepped down because she disagreed. The main criticism against Pao is that she is making decisions that are bad for the community in order to make the site more money. Unless you think the explanation is a lie, isn't this "bad" even if you don't like her, because her board-appointed replacement would be even more aggressive with trying to make money?

 

[Anth0ny]

we did it internet

 

[Fireblend]

Whoa, I thought everything was settled over there, like it was just a small group who hated her.

Yeah, a small group composed of the most active contributors, moderators and the people who keep reddit running basically for free.

I don't agree with the angry mob-like way the community reacted to recent events, but the way Pao and reddit handled matters, well, it was less than optimal.

 

[nilbog21]

Thank god

 

[OctoMan]

Whoa, I thought everything was settled over there, like it was just a small group who hated her.

The entire site shut down Basically because they hated her so much.

 

[PSYGN]

PAO! In the face.

 

[Emperor Bohe]

VICTOLY

What is this?

i'm guessing that it is random samurai shodown II reference

 

[Nibel]

Will the 'REDDIT IS DEAD LIKE DIGG' hyperbole bullshit stop now?

 

[entremet]

To be fair to her she was interim CEO and it was a poor choice. She had no business experience.

The racist ad hominems were pathetic, however.

 

[CreepingFear]

On last Sunday's TWIT, they were debating if she would last the year. I didn't expect her to be let go this fast. Damn.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Had no business being a CEO in the first place.

 

[PartTimeWarrior]

Kicking and screaming like giant man babies finally worked

 

[Guevara]

The OP suggests that the board wanted to make money more aggressively and she stepped down because she disagreed. The main criticism against Pao is that she is making decisions that are bad for the community in order to make the site more money. Unless you think the explanation is a lie, isn't this "bad" even if you don't like her?

Personally, I don't exactly take what Pao says too seriously. The board knew she had to go, they are being magnanimous by acting like it's a mutual decision here.

 

[Nozem]

Good.

 

[OctoMan]

Will the 'REDDIT IS DEAD LIKE DIGG' hyperbole bullshit stop now?

It really was not hyperbole. Had the front page been kept down, it would have been gone. They didn't even have the code to prop it back up.

 

[Abounder]

Good riddance

 

[Deleted member 325805]

Good news.

 

[ISWThunder]

The board and Pao just have differing opinions on the future or Reddit.

The board would prefer for the site to grow instead of burn in flames. Just a different way to look at running a business.

 

[sometimes i game]

Kicking and screaming like giant man babies finally worked

It always works on the internet. And people scream "lol like a petition or tweets will do anything".... yes, yes it will.

 

[perryfarrell]

Reddit's response to the banning of the fatpeoplehate and related subs was totally unreasonable. Everybody started foulmouthing her. But it was actually a good move (the banning of those subs).

Then Victoria got fired without any explanation. A completely retarded and out-of-touch move. So the hate for Pao grew. In the end, the fatpeoplehate-fans got what they want. But that's not exactly a part of Reddit that you want to encourage. So it's an odd situation.

 

[injurai]

It always works on the internet. And people scream "lol like a petition or tweets will do anything".... yes, yes it will.

As if people didn't take legitmate grievances against her policy.

 

[aeolist]

i can't wait for the site to continue fucking up so the insane part of the user base can concoct further crazed authoritarian conspiracy theories

 

[Messypandas]

But is Victoria back?

 

[Apath]

Reddit's response to the banning of the fatpeoplehate and related subs was totally unreasonable. Everybody started foulmouthing her. But it was actually a good move (the banning of those subs).

Then Victoria got fired without any explanation. A completely retarded and out-of-touch move. So the hate for Pao grew. In the end, the fatpeoplehate-fans got what they want. But that's not exactly a part of Reddit that you want to encourage. So it's an odd situation.

Yeah, I am pretty torn on this.

 

[Angelus Errare]

It really was not hyperbole. Had the front page been kept down, it would have been gone. They didn't even have the code to prop it back up.

Reddit's code is on Github.

 

[iBeleaf]

I think Reddit itself is going downhill and even though Pao was stupid she is going to be used as a scapegoat