Alexis ohanian is a startup founder and investor in san francisco, ca. He also cofounded the earlystage venture capital firm initialized capital, helped launch the travel search website hipmunk, and started the social enterprise breadpig. Two university of virginia students, steve huffman and alexis ohanian, created reddit in 2005. Steve huffman in san francisco and alexis ohanian at the oxford union. Reddit steps up antiharassment measures with new blocking tool. Lessig has spent his career fighting to maintain the open spaces of the web so that all of us can make and share our work, ohanian said. All ama inquiries go to email protected where we have a team in placei posted this on a mod sub but im reposting here we get that losing victoria has a significant impact on the way you manage.
Ohanian, responding to asbarezs questions via email, says he had no idea that their. Reddits story begins at the university of virginia in 2001. As told in we are the nerds, they reclaimed the helm when a series of. I admire them for doing so because despite lagoriochafkins best efforts. Serena williams is engaged to reddit cofoudner alexis ohanian at the time, the brooklyn, new york native had been on track to become a lawyer. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family, personal life, achievements, etc.
Reddit founders alexis ohanian and steve huffman at the funeral of the florida school shooting victims. After graduating from uva in 2005, alexis and his cofounder steve huffman started reddit, now a top 100 website. Alexis ohanian, cofounder of reddit and author of without their permission, joins us in the newsroom to discuss how reddit began,startups. There are only a few founders that i really like and steve huffman and alexis ohanian are two of them. Reddit, founded in 2005 by steve huffman and alexis ohanian, college roommates, had largely taken a laissezfaire approach to internet commentary. I first met alexis ohanian through education nonprofit, as we both sit on their advisory board years later, he still impresses the hell out of me. He returned to reddit fulltime with cofounder huffman on july 10, 2015 to lead the nowindependent company. Alexis ohanian could still be standing in line waiting for a sandwich. Alexis ohanian wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. When alexis ohanian and steve huffman sold reddit to conde nast in 2006, the 23yearold cofounders became multimillionaires overnight.
Speaking at entrepreneurs accelerate your business event in miami last week, ohanian recalled that he and his cofounder, steve huffman. Alexis helped create the hipmunk brand identity and. Reddit founders alexis ohanian and steve huffman at the. Conde nast eventually acquires reddit and huffman and ohanian become millionaires overnight.
Huffman and ohanian joined y combinator, a seed accelerator led by sam altman, and expanded reddit. Adam grant, new york times bestselling author of originals, give and take, and. Though the idea was rejected, ohanian and huffman were invited to join the first class of y combinator, on the condition that theyd come up with a new concept. They envisioned it as the front page of the internet, which remains reddits slogan today. Alexis ohanian is cofounder of the popular social news site reddit. A year later, he sold the site and began a new adventure of helping.
Alexis ohanian speaker, keynote, booking agent, bureau. Alexis ohanian is the author of without their permission 3. He is best known as the cofounder and executive chairman of the social news website reddit. Alexis ohanian is an american internet entrepreneur, activist, and investor. Alexis ohanian serves up internet wisdom in new book. Ceo steve huffman, who handcoded the site when he launched it with alexis ohanian in 2005 and who returned in 2015 to the company to try to save it in the wake of a scandal that threatened to. Alexis ohanian, and steve huffman, who proposed a phonebased foodordering system for which they had. After detailing how he and college friend steve huffman created the site as undergrads at the university of virginia later selling it to conde nast, ohanian then presents a helpful blueprint for readersincluding how to identify genuine need in the marketplace, doing the. Alexis ohanian, approximately three minutes after he sold reddit. Alexis and steves original plan was to build an infrastructure that would allow people to order food from their cell phones. Ohanian and steve huffmans original plan was to build an infrastructure that would allow people to order food from their cell phones. Alexis ohanian is the cofounder of the social news aggregation website reddit.
Reddits alexis ohanian on how to learn the market for your new business. After graduating from uva in 2005, alexis and his cofounder steve huffman started reddit, now a. In may 2014, alexis ohanian presented lawrence lessig with the webby lifetime achievement award. Aaron swartzs brilliant life and tragic death rolling stone. Alexis ohanian was fresh out of college in 2005 when he cofounded with his partner steve huffman. Reddit was founded by university of virginia roommates steve huffman and alexis ohanian in 2005. Alexis kerry ohanian born april 24, 1983, also known by the username kn0thing, is an american internet entrepreneur and investor. Alexis ohanian and steve huffman might have founded reddit, but it wasnt their idea. He cofounded reddit, is a bestselling author and has had.
After graduating from uva in 2005, alexis and his cofounder steve huffman started reddit, a top 10 us website. Alexis ohanian keynote speaker harry walker agency. The exact sale price was never disclosed but the site. Huffman and ohanian attended a lecture by programmerentrepreneur paul graham in boston, massachusetts, during their spring break from university of virginia. Ohanian makes an announcement in regards to taylors removal we dont talk about specific employees, but i do want you to know that im here to triage ama requests in the interim. Roommates alexis ohanian and steve huffman were pretty normal freshmen, albeit with a pronounced geeky streak. Investor, speaker, host of small empires, author of without their permission. Alexis ohanian is the cofounder of reddit, initialized capital, and a bestselling author based in san francisco, ca. The 1st thing alexis ohanian bought after he sold reddit. Now a reddit board member, alexis focuses on social enterprise breadpig, publishing authors like xkcd and smbc profits donated to worthy causes. Hes the guy who travelled 500 miles to blind pitch an investor with his startup idea. Book tells the inside story of how reddit came to be the internets id. Adam grant, new york times bestselling author of originals, give and take.
Today, he helps run it bringing 11 years of reflection and experience working, writing and building to the role. Huffman and ohanian had just launched a startup called reddit, a. In an exclusive interview with observer, reddit cofounder alexis ohanian discussed his not so glamorous days of being an earlystage ceo, what he looks for in founders as a vc and how a non. In august 2010, just weeks before the launch, alexis joined the team at hipmunk, steve huffmans second y combinator startup. Alexis ohanian speakers bureau and booking agent info. The brilliant life and tragic death of aaron swartz.
His new book, without their permission, tells the story of the site, from startup to internet giant. Steve huffman born november 12, 1983, also known by his reddit username spez is an. The donts that turned alexis ohanian into the leader he. Shortly after graduating from uva, he and classmate steve huffman founded. Its an unseasonably cold early october evening in lincoln, nebraska, and reddit cofounder alexis ohanian is giving his elevator pitch to a flustered but rapt woman behind the counter of a fastfood joint, runza, where hes picking up 45 servings of the eponymous nebraskan meat and bread dish to bring back to a party at a local sports startup. Alexis ohanian is an entrepreneur and investor in brooklyn, ny, best known as the cofounder of reddit. The idea and initial development of reddit originated with then college roommates steve huffman and alexis ohanian in 2005. Though the idea was rejected, alexis and steve were invited to join the first class of y combinator, on the condition that theyd come up with a new concept. Hes able to use 2020 hindsight in the present after selling reddit to conde nast in 2006, hes now rejoined the company fulltime with his longtime friend, cofounder and ceo steve huffman. Reddit cofounder and university of virginia alumnus alexis ohanian will be back on grounds on friday for a panel with other alumni entrepreneurs ohanian and fellow uva alumnus steve huffman. After graduating from uva in 2005, alexis and his cofounder steve huffman started reddit. They ate pizza, drank beer, tinkered with their computers and played video games. Steve huffman and alexis ohanian, cooperated extensively. Created by steve huffman and alexis ohanian during a program designated to help young people start tech companies, reddit grew rapidly and unexpectedly.
Oh, front row, fiftyyard line, pleasethe best you have. Why is this man running for president of the internet. In 2010 he brought his problem to reddit cofounders alexis ohanian and steve huffman. In 2005, reddit was founded by steve huffman and alexis ohanian. In 2015, he returned to a fulltime capacity the company he cofounded with steve huffman. Steve huffman born november 12, 1983, also known by his reddit username spez s p. The site quickly took off, and in 2006, they sold it to conde nast. Reddit cofounder alexis ohanian almost gave up on programming in college. Steve huffman and alexis ohanian, both a couple of years older than swartz. Alexis and steve huffmans original plan was to build an infrastructure that would allow people to order food from their cell phones. At 23, huffman and ohanian sold reddit to conde nast on october 31, 2006, for a reported. We are the nerds retells the birth and progress of reddit, one of the internets most popular websites. Steve huffman born november 12, 1983, also known by his reddit username spez s.
Instead of sticking with programming, alexis decided he should become an immigration lawyer. Alexis kerry ohanian born april 24, 1983, also known by the username kn0thing, is an. To alexis ohanian, success came after a series of setbacks. Entrepreneurs alexis ohanian and steve huffman famously founded reddit as college roommates in 2005. Alexis ohanian, the dude who cofounded reddit, helped launch hipmunk, advocates for free culture, opposes sopa and serves as an allaround startup sage, reads a lot of reddit. In the summer of 20, small empires with alexis ohanian, a weekly online series focused on rising startups in new.
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