Social network company Reddit on Wednesday named venture capital investor Michael Seibel to its board, days after co-founder and former director Alexis Ohanian resigned and called for the company to replace him with a black candidate.
Ohanian's resignation came as the death of George Floyd in police custody triggered widespread protests against racism and police brutality, while also reigniting the debate of diversity in America's corporate boardrooms.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/reddit?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@reddit15 years ago to help people find community and a sense of belonging.⁰
It is long overdue to do the right thing. I’m doing this for me, for my family, and for my country.
— Alexis Ohanian Sr. 🚀 (@alexisohanian)
Many protesters and organizers in recent days have also sought to transform the outrage over Floyd's death into a renewed civil rights movement, demanding reforms to America's criminal justice system.
Internet entrepreneur Ohanian, who is married to American tennis player Serena Williams, also pledged $1 million to Colin Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp, a campaign for legal awareness among youth.
"I will use future gains on my Reddit stock to serve the black community, chiefly to curb racial hate," Ohanian said in a tweet.
Responding to Ohanian's request, Chief Executive Officer Steve Huffman said on Friday "the unacceptable gap" between Reddit's content policy and values has reduced the company's effectiveness in combating hate and racism, and slowed down its response to problems.
Seibel is also the CEO of Y Combinator, a Silicon Valley incubator of start-ups, whose notable early investments include Airbnb, DoorDash, Dropbox and Reddit itself in 2005.