Alexis Ohanian, the founder and former CEO of Reddit, stepped down from his position on the company’s board Friday as the U.S. roils with nationwide protests against police brutality after Minneapolis police killed George Floyd, an unarmed black man.
The tech entrepreneur has also pledged to use future gains on his Reddit stock to “serve the black community.”
In a series of tweets, he said he was doing it “as a father who needs to be able to answer his black daughter when she asks: ‘What did you do?'”
I co-founded @reddit 15 years ago to help people find community and a sense of belonging.⁰
— Alexis Ohanian Sr. 🚀 (@alexisohanian) June 5, 2020
It is long overdue to do the right thing. I’m doing this for me, for my family, and for my country.
It follows days of US protests against police brutality and racial inequality.
Mr Ohanian, who is married to black tennis champion Serena Williams, said he would be donating $1m (£800,000) to Know Your Rights Camp, a non-profit started by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.