Reddit CEO Resigns Following Multiple Controversies

Today, CEO of Reddit Ellen Pao stepped down from her post. This follows several controversies surrounding the website over the past few months.

In a post on Reddit, board member Sam Altman explained that Pao had resigned in "mutual agreement" with the board of directors. Steve Huffman, founder and the original head of Reddit, is returning as the next CEO.

"We're very happy to have Steve back," Altman wrote. "Product and community are the two legs of reddit, and the board was very focused on finding a candidate who excels at both (truthfully, community is harder), which Steve does. He has the added bonus of being a founder with ten years of reddit history in his head."

Altman also laid out some upcoming improvements and changes for the site. He reiterated that subreddit moderators will soon receive new tools to help them work, and he also promised greater transparency from the administrators. Finally, he shared that Huffman is focusing on improving the Reddit experience on mobile.

Altman ended with a reminder to community members that threats and aggressive comments will not be tolerated. "Disagreements are fine," he wrote. "Death threats are not, are not covered under free speech, and will continue to get offending users banned."

Pao's resignation follows a series of controversial decisions that sparked outrage in the Reddit community. After a popular administrator responsible for helping run the "Ask Me Anything" subreddit was fired last week, several subreddits began a blackout in protest. Even though Pao apologized for not communicating with the Reddit community before making the decision, a Change.org petition calling for her resignation accumulated over 200,000 signatures.

In June, five subreddits were banned for offensive material, which resulted in backlash from the community.

Pao will stay on as an advisor to Reddit's board of directors until the end of the year.