Alexis Ohanian: Why I Left Reddit and Why Greed Can Inspire Good | A Bit of Optimism Podcast

In 2020, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian resigned from his own company in protest. After 15 years building Reddit into a social media juggernaut, why leave? The answer is values. Alexis is the kind of entrepreneur and investor who believes that integrity and long term profits go hand in hand. It’s the reason he started his new company 776, allowing him to invest in startups that are trying to make the world a better place. And it’s the reason he resigned from Reddit after the George Floyd was killed, requesting the board replace him with a Black director. In this conversation, Alexis shares with me his thoughts on the future of entrepreneurship, the race for AGI, climate change, and the principles that guide the way he leads. It turns out, building a business with values is the best thing for long term greed. This…is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Alexis and his work, check out: https://sevensevensix.com/ https://alexisohanian.com/ ⏰ Timestamps 0:00 Imposter Syndrome 3:07 “Alexis sounds so much smarter in German.” 6:43 Serena Williams’ reaction to Alexis’ story 7:17 Michael Jordan invented stories to be angry 8:32 Does having a stable family impact your success in tech? 11:30 You need one person in your life to have your back 15:20 Why Alexis resigned from Reddit 16:53 Alexis’ 7-year-old doesn’t care that Dad's a big deal 19:05 No social media founders knew THIS would happen 21:21 Founders struggle with AI ethics 25:13 Is AI the new atomic bomb? 29:34 Google, Amazon, and others race to be monopolies 32:47 Government can’t keep up with tech advances 34:42 Ro’s Telehealth 35:53 The right way to be greedy 40:05 The problem with climate change progress 43:33 The Ocean Cleanup 45:02 Did humans cause climate change? 47:05 Alexis doesn’t love going outside 48:46 A message for young climate activists 50:00 Nature doesn’t give a s*** about your vote 51:22 This generation can make a climate impact 53:33 Simon’s Viral TED Talk 57:18 OpenAI’s pivot to profit 58:03 Alexis needed to leave Reddit in protest 1:01:50 Alexis is investing in... + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game. + + Website: http://simonsinek.com/ Live Online Classes: https://simonsinek.com/classes/ Podcast: http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram:   / simonsinek   Linkedin:   / simonsinek   Twitter:   / simonsinek   Facebook:   / simonsinek   Simon’s books: The Infinite Game: https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infi... Start With Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-wi... Find Your Why: https://simonsinek.com/books/find-you... Leaders Eat Last: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-... Together is Better: https://simonsinek.com/books/together... + + #SimonSinek