Reddit announced today that it’s named Y Combinator CEO Michael Seibel to its board of directors.
In addition to being CEO of Y Combinator, Seibel also co-founded Justin.tv, the live streaming company that later became Twitch.
Seibel is replacing co-founder and board member Alexis Ohanian, who stepped down from Reddit’s board of directors last week. When stepping down, Ohanian asked his seat to be filled by a black candidate.
Seibel served as CEO of Justin.tv from 2007 to 2011. He then co-founded and served as CEO of Socialcam, which was later sold to Autodesk. In 2013, Seibel began working at Y Combinator, where he became a partner in 2014. In 2016,
Seibel was named as CEO of the accelerator program. During his time at YC, Seibel also invested in companies such as Cruise, Figma, Triplebyte, Reddit, Paystack, AptDeco, Scentbird and others.
Beyond his work experience, Seibel also supports numerous initiatives seeking to increase diversity within the tech industry, including organizations like Black Tech for Black Lives and Black Tech Weekend.
“I want to thank Steve, Alexis, and the entire Reddit board for this opportunity. I’ve known Steve and Alexis since 2007 and have been a Reddit user ever since,” Seibel shared in a statement.
“Over this period of time I’ve watched Reddit become part of the core fabric of the internet and I’m excited to help provide advice and guidance as Reddit continues to grow and tackle the challenges of bringing community and belonging to a broader audience,” Seibel continued.
Ohanian stepped down from Reddit’s board of directors last week. In a statement posted to his website, Ohanian explained he was “long overdue to do the right thing.” At the time of his resignation, Ohanian requested a black candidate be chosen to replace him.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman quickly responded to Ohanian’s resignation, stating the company planned to honor his request.
