Ellen Pao Leaves Reddit; Site Founder Steve Huffman Makes a Triumphant Return
Deathspawner writes: To say that it's been a tumultuous month for reddit is an understatement. While multiple events have occurred in recent months that have caused an uproar, such as the banning of popular "hate" subreddits, nothing impacted the site quite like the out-of-nowhere firing of "Ask Me Anything" admin Victoria Taylor last week. Following that, other minor revelations surfaced, and finally, this past Monday, reddit CEO Ellen Pao came out from hiding to issue an apology. While her message instilled a bit more confidence in the future of the site, it wasn't enough. Today, it's been announced that Ellen Pao has left the company she joined last fall, and will be superseded by someone who knows what he's getting into: founder Steve Huffman.
Ellen made all the hard changes, like clamping down on offensive speech. She was then canned as a scapegoat, the desired person was brought in for the long term role, and all of Ellen's changes stick.
All the while, Reddit looks like it acquiesced to the masses. Brilliantly played.
Viable Slashdot alternatives: https://pipedot.org/ and http://soylentnews.org/
It's pretty clear Pao was just a scapegoat to take care of unpleasant business. It could be she turned out worse than the board expected, but make no mistake: she wasn't alone in driving the New Reddit policies they want, and had the board's full support. Her resigning will change nothing.
In other news: There's voat.co that's turning into a pretty nice community to replace Reddit. It's more like the original and the userbase is pretty big now.
wow reddit is going to flip out. I think she was handicapped from day one by her sexual harassment suit at KCPB. reddit definitely has a lot of internet libertarian types who hate anything they perceive as SJW, so for her to come in the door like this was tough. good luck to her, she's a really cool person and has been painted pretty bad in this experience.
First the racist conservative battle flag is removed and now Pao is removed! Whats next? Removal of citizen spying?
Mutated by Scientists.
Ding dong, the witch is dead, the wicked witch is dead.
Except not really. Unless they reverse her changes (bring back Victoria Taylor, restore the improperly banned subreddits that never harassed anyone) and show that they're really committed to communicating with their volunteer mods, then this is meaningless.
At least it's a step in the right direction, now to see if they follow through.
What's Reddit? Is it like Digg?
sig: sauer
Sexual harassment lawsuit incoming.
Tell us again about how fucking unfair it all is, and keep pretending that it isn't abject incompetence.
some triumphal return music. Any recommendations or favorites?
By using the term "SJW", you have outed yourself as someone who has had to deal with annoying, dishonest, power hungry, attention-seeking, hypocritical SJWs.
Are they still going to be all anti-gg and pro SJW? I'm not going back if they are. I find those people too depressing to be around. Always so so angry about the newest thing to be angry about.
Have you checked out Leigh Alexander's new website Offworld? I hear it's like Jezebel but better. Give it a try. It sounds closer to your convictions than /. will ever be.
I think he meant Victoria was the successful woman.
Q: What does the "B." in Benoit B. Mandelbrot stand for? A: Benoit B. Mandelbrot
> The facts of the case painted the firm as pretty sexist [hbr.org].
Those are allegations, not facts. Facts are things actually established in court with legally admissible evidence. Allegations are things people claim. Anyone can make up allegations, the fact that she lost proves that there was insufficient evidence that they were true. Taking all the allegations as "facts" is naive at best. People can and do lie in court.
By way of example, there's a rumor that you're a rapist. It's not supported by any factual evidence whatsoever. Do you call this an allegation or a fact?
Can we really believe anything you say in your defense, given that you might be a rapist?
That is all.
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
What's MRA?
I was hoping to find a subreddit on specific technical subjects where I can find useful information like in the usenet days.
mfwright@batnet.com
Half of the things that are counted as [status]ism these days are actual thought crimes: we think that so-and-so did whatever they did because they hate [group], even if they may have had other reasons. That is, someone might dislike someone because they were rude to them, rather than because of the group the belong to, but certain people will assume that all dislike comes solely from their [group] and none of it could ever be due to their actions. They might fairly point out instances where they were unfairly disliked, but so can everyone, that unfairness is universal. Or possibly they can find people who really look like bigots who also dislike that person, therefore everyone who dislikes that person must not have any legitimate reasons and be a bigot.
And this is how you get crazy things like the fraternity falsely accused and punished of a rape they had absolutely no relation to. Whether there was or wasn't a rape, none of the people who got pilloried by activists had done anything wrong other than being on the wrong end of a wild accusation.
People see that Pao's claims are poorly substantiated, but when they say they find the evidence lacking, someone finds some loser who hates women and use that to paint everyone with the same brush, as if all people who think that we should be fair to everybody and require evidence to be fairly considered rather than forming internet lynch mobs are somehow the bad people here.
I've been on Slashdot since you were jacking off to cheerleaders.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Political Correctness teaches us that women CEO's are always great. So we should hire her, right? I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
I know you're making a point satirically, but for those that don't get it I'll answer with two words: Carly Fiorina
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
I've been on Slashdot since you were jacking off to cheerleaders.
That's actually a little sad - and my ID is about 100k less than yours. [ Fuck me; I need to get a life. ]
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
Bigots and racists and sexists and fat-shamers and MRAs and moderators and even SJWs pissed of at Victoria being fired. A million special interests standing in the way of the common good.
Well, the important thing here is that since an offensive place like /r/coontown didn't like Ellen Pao, that means that nobody else had any valid criticisms and everybody who wanted her gone is a misogynist racist. Probably heteronormative Christian cis-scum, too. Am I right?
Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
Whatever you think about Pao, she was in a very tough position. Reddit was in full on shit hitting the fan mode when she took over.
The company had just raised $50M they didn't actually need, with no real plan of what to do next. The new board was micromanaging and not looking out for the good of the company. The corporate culture was self serving and tone deaf. The prior CEO couldn't get a simple office location change through the board and quit. Pao is promoted to interim CEO. The title of "interim" CEO should NEVER have been used publicly. That it was shows the stance of the board towards management. She got some control of the company back from the board, was able to institute some changes and show that the position of Reddit CEO was still meaningful in the company. Think about that transition from when she started and the CEO couldn't change the office space without board approval (that he couldn't get!) to today when everyone can agree that the CEO runs Reddit. She realized when it was time (ish) to go and (presumably) helped get a very good replacement that the board actually likes.
I don't think I would actually like working with her, but I do think she did a good job there.
By your definition, insults are hate speech.
Hate speech is like pornography/obscenity: No one can define it, and it's usually strangely close to "Stuff I don't like."
Maxim: People cannot follow directions.
Increases in truth directly with the length of time spent explaining them
Ahem.
I've been on Slashdot since you were jacking off to cheerleaders.
Says the newfriend, wish I could remember my old password, I did have a 4UID at one point. Oh well.
Om, nomnomnom...
How much did you pay?
lemonade was a popular drink and it still is
Casual sexism for the win.
Oh wait, that was't casual at all!
Dickwad.
lemonade was a popular drink and it still is
Yes because hiring a women because women, not on merit isn't sexist at all.
Om, nomnomnom...
HELLO FREND!
Exactly. And those are not all the reasons Mayer should be considered incompetent.
For example, I understand that she allowed a deal in which Microsoft pays Yahoo to use Bing search, but dishonestly calls it Yahoo search. (See the title of this web page: Advertise on the Yahoo Bing Network.)
Then, I understand, Marissa Meyer paid Mozilla Foundation to switch the Firefox browser to Yahoo (actually Bing) search during an "update". That was a sneaky trick. Users of Firefox weren't notified. Most of them don't know how to configure Firefox to use Google search again.
To me, that indicates that both Microsoft and Yahoo managers are dishonest and therefore incompetent.
I've been in the States for several decades and I've come across plenty of people to be able to see a pattern, or two
I'll start with the Chinese - as I am a Chinese
There are two main types of Chinese in America - one tries very hard to pretend that they are Whites, while another know that no matter how they try they will still be called 'chinks'
Pao belongs to the former, and she sure tries very hard to be amongst the in crowd
I've paid close attention to what Pao has been doing over these few years - and I've noticed that the more she tried the worse she has become
Her first try to become a leader of the 'in crowd', in the corporate world was getting no where, quick - and when the whole thing bombed she wasted no time filing frivirous lawsuits againsther former employer
Her involvement with the extreme leftist circle got her the job at Reddit (as aptly described in one of the above comments as 'an interim') but she fucked that up too
The problem with Pao is that she has mixed with the wrong crowd, and her ambition is way too high for her own ability
Mayer, on the other hand, didn't have to go through what Pao has gone through. Mayer wasn't infected with the 'inferior complex' that many Chinese American are suffering from
As a Chinese in America I can tell you that those who look down on themselves (as Chinese) often live a really misery life. Everyday they had to struggle through the feeling of self-pity, self-hate, and self-denial
For Pao, all I say is that I pity her --- she should try slowing down, and start reflecting on what she has done
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
Not that I agree with those business tactics, but I think your dishonest = incompetent equation doesn't make much sense. If a con artist manages to con people out of a lot of money, he's definitely dishonest. However you can't really call him incompetent.
BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
It's something like a unicorn: a mythical creature that doubles as strawman for discussion purposes.
Therefore, by the (faulty) logic you're using, you're just a cow with a keyboard - osu-neko (2604)
I find it interesting that so many from the politically-correctness camp have so much difficulties differentiating allegations from facts
Is it a 'bird of a feather' thing?
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
Irrelevant question: Why did a Chinese person call himself "Taco" (Mexican) "Cowboy" (American)?
I am one of a 5th generation of a family in the United States. I have had Chinese friends and acquaintances in five countries.
Learning another culture is very difficult. There are many Chinese who aren't able to do it; that's why there are "China towns".
I've known people who were born in other countries, whose parents were from the U.S., who were not able to learn the culture of the country in which they live.
I tried to help a Chinese woman in the U.S. who was married to an American. She is intelligent. She has a master's degree. Her husband wanted a divorce. The underlying problem seemed to be that her mother had been very controlling. Unconsciously, she was being controlling toward her husband in a way that convinced him she didn't care.
Why was the Chinese woman's mother controlling? One of the fundamental historical reasons for parents to be controlling was the lack of full social security in China. Parents felt it was necessary to control their children so that, when the parents were older, they would have financial security provided by their children.
I'm guessing that Ellen Pao has the same kind of problem. There are areas in which Ms. Pao has complete understanding. There are other areas in which she fails to realize her lack of social sophistication.
who read this as Ellen Page?
... I guess so.
I still am. Mmmm, cheerleaders.
I thought at least one Slashdotter would have gotten my Godfather reference. I guess not.
You are welcome on my lawn.
We allow those things in public. That has nothing to do with what Reddit has done (and continues to do by the way). A private company can choose to not host whatever they want and it's not censorship.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Was it also bad when Google paid Mozilla to be the default search option?
Copyright (c) 1990 - 2014 Dice. All rights reserved. Use of this comment is subject to certain Terms and Conditions.
There was no time when /.was this great thing. It is not now, nor has it ever been, all things to everyone. There are still people here who do not read the article, spout ignorant opinions, and are offensive. I am glad to be one of them.
Anyhow, if you do not like it then there is an 'X' in the upper-left or upper-right corner of your browser. It is how you solve the problems of not liking a site. There is a community online, or the chance to make one, that will suit your needs. You may have to make it yourself, you can, and see if anyone likes your same sensibilities. That is entirely up to you. What is not up to you is to determine how, what, or if an online community should change.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
I've been on Slashdot since you were jacking off to cheerleaders.
Slut shaming cheerleaders? Turn yourself into the Jezebel re-education camp immediately.
Bragging about a high six digit UID is sad. In fact, bragging about the age of your account for any reason at all except to joke about it in a 'get off my lawn' fashion is lame. How about writing intelligently so you have something of worth to brag about.
Never seen a UID that close to mine, we must have joined the same week.
Not a thing, just very early to to the party.
My understanding was that Google didn't interfere with Firefox development.
Apparently Microsoft is interfering. The Thunderbird and SeaMonkey Composer GUIs have been damaged, apparently deliberately. Every time you do a file save, the newer versions of both Thunderbird and SeaMonkey ask for a new file name, and don't suggest the last one chosen.
The damage was reported several months ago, but has not been fixed. Is that another example of Microsoft's Embrace, Extend, Extinguish? People who feel forced away from Thunderbird may choose Microsoft software to replace it. Is that something Microsoft is trying to accomplish?
Google had been paying Mozilla Foundation $300,000,000 each year!! Where did the money go? Did you see that amount of development in Firefox?
" If a con artist manages to con people out of a lot of money, he's definitely dishonest. However you can't really call him incompetent."
Con artists destroy faith in the company, both inside and outside.
Have you known con artists? They have MISERABLE lives.