New Reddit CEO tries to win over users in midst of scandal that saw popular employee fired and ex-boss Ellen Pao forced out during 'revolt' staged by unpaid moderators
- Steve Huffman hosted an AMA to reassure the online community
- Follows uproar by staff and volunteers over firing of Victoria Taylor
- Insisted he will never look to ban content unless they really have to
- Added that if posts are taken down, users will be able to find out why
- The incoming boss admitted he is still 'getting to know everyone here'
- He insisted Pao was not used as a 'scapegoat' and is looking to move on
Reddit's new CEO has begun his tenure by trying to win over users in the midst of a scandal that saw Ellen Pao ousted from the company and an uprising by staff.
Steve Huffman, who is returning to the content sharing site he founded in 2005, reassured the online community of his vision during an AMA forum by insisting he would never look to ban content, unless the site is forced to.
If posts are removed, the web developer said there will be greater transparency to see why they were taken down.
When asked about the firing of communications director Victoria Taylor, which provoked a revolt among staff and loyal users, he said he was 'sorry' how everything worked out, but admitted the popular former employee would not be returning.
He also insisted Pao was not used as a 'scapegoat', instead she 'took one on the chin' in a time of crisis.
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Reddit's new CEO Steve Huffman has tried to win over users as his tenure begins after Ellen Pao was ousted from the company during a 'revolt' by staff
Huffman, who also started the airfare site Hipmunk, was announced as Pao's replacement on Friday after unrest at the online discussion forum and news site.
It was prompted by the departure of Taylor, who was popular with the volunteers who help maintain the site.
She was best known for running Ask Me Anything and became synonymous with the section as the interface between high-profile guests and Reddit’s massive community
In response, some Reddit users made numbers of popular subsections inaccessible in a ‘revolt’ over the former communications director’s dismissal.
Volunteer moderators who work with paid administrators to run the site’s discussion threads turned many of the ‘subreddits’ dark.
Pao was forced to make a grovelling apology on the site in response. ‘We screwed up. Today, we acknowledge this long history of mistakes.’ But her words have done little to quell either the surge of support for Taylor or the hostility towards Pao.
To start the discussion on Saturday, in the wake of the scandal, Hauffman said he was excited for the job ahead, but admitted a turnaround was still needed
He wrote: 'I know we have a lot of work to do. One of my first priorities is to re-establish a relationship with the community. This is the first of what I expect will be many AMAs (I'm thinking I'll do these weekly).'
During the conversation he added that users will be informed if their content has been pulled down, and there will be a process to appeal the decision.
'I think mods should be able to moderate, but there should also be some mechanism to see what was removed. It doesn't have to be easy, but it shouldn't be impossible,' he added.
He also quashed concerns over money, saying the site has 'a lot of cash' and monetization isn't an issue in the short term.
Hauffman was asked about Pao's firing, and questioned as to whether she was the victim of problems at the company.
He said: 'No, Ellen was not used as a scapegoat. She stepped up during a time of crisis for reddit, for which we were thankful. Things didn't go smoothly, for sure, but I will do my best to guide us forward.
'It's hard to imagine she was (responsible), but responsibility flows up. I'm sure there will be times I've got to take it on the chin as well. Part of the gig.
Despite the circumstances surrounding Taylor's firing, Hauffman said she would not be returning.
When asked he said: 'No. I know she was well-loved by many moderators, and I'm very sorry at how everything played out. It could have been handled much better.
'However, she was let go for specific reasons, which I obviously will not share, and we will stand by that decision.
'What we will absolutely do is make sure we have dedicate people internally to help manage the relationships between moderators and guests on reddit.
Backlash: Pao's decision comes eight days after the dismissal of popular Reddit staffer Victoria Taylor (seen above earlier this week), who ran the Ask Me Anything feature
'I'm still getting to know everyone here, and I expect this will be an ongoing conversation between you all and I.'
Despite the move in a new direction, Reddit still needs to recover from a series of scandal.
Earlier this year the site came under fire with users earlier this year when they announced anti-harassment guidelines this year and in June it banned a few groups for violating those rules.
Reddit is known for an almost-anything goes style, but leadership said in May that it was unhappy with harassment on its site and survey data showed its users were also upset about the behavior.
A statement posted on Reddit said that Pao, who became interim CEO in November, resigned from by mutual agreement and will continue to advise the board for the rest of 2015.
Huffman co-founded Reddit in 2005 with Alexis Ohanian. Conde Nast acquired Reddit the following year, and both Huffman and Ohanian left the company in October 2009.
Ohanian returned as San Francisco-based Reddit's executive chairman in November.
Before becoming Reddit's CEO, Pao had worked for a storied Silicon Valley venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
She lost a high-profile gender discrimination lawsuit against Kleiner Perkins in March that brought up issues of the gender imbalance and difficulties faced by women working in Silicon Valley.
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