"It is so important to stay close to your community" - Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian throws light on commitments he made as Reddit founder
Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian this week shared insights from the early days of Reddit when he used to be extremely close to the product and the community. He shared valuable advice for founders through his experience co-founding Reddit.
Reddit, founded in 2005 by Alexis Ohanian, Steve Huffman, and Aaron Swartz, grew to become a globally popular social media platform. In 2014, the company raised $50 million from investors including Sam Altman and Snoop Dogg.
In June 2020, Ohanian stepped down from Reddit’s board and called for his replacement to be a Black candidate.
Taking to Instagram, Ohanian recently shared his perspective on the importance of founders staying connected to their products and community as well, as their businesses grow.
Drawing from his experience building Reddit, he emphasized that being present and actively engaged is essential, especially in community-driven platforms. Posting a video to Instagram, he said,
"When you're a founder, it is so important to stay close to your product and your community even as your business starts growing. Now with some businesses, it's easier than others.
"Obviously while starting Reddit I was a power user because it was part of my job where it was being a community manager, being a presence, being a leader in the community and so if you're building something that is community first you better believe you as a founder has to be in there every day all the time leading by example being that kind of like party host of sorts."
Ohanian also said he handled every support email for the first five years of Reddit. This hands-on approach was a "therapeutic experience."
"It never stops, you gotta keep that equilibrium" - Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian on being a founder
In the same video, Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian explained that while it’s important to stay connected to the community, as a leader, a founder must also maintain a broader perspective.
"Obviously you don't spend all of your time doing this. You also as a leader need to have that bigger picture 20,000 foot view spending time both those places but it's the way to do it. It never stops. You gotta keep that equilibrium."
Like Ohanian, Serena Williams is also a founder. She created WYN Beauty, a cosmetics brand that markets itself as "makeup you can move in." The 23-time Grand Slam champion also owns a venture capital business called Serena Ventures.
When it comes to investment, the couple has been heavily involved in sports. Williams, Ohanian, and their daughters own a stake in Angel City FC, an NWSL club. They also own a share in the Los Angeles Golf Club. Moreover, Ohanian is also the founder of Athlos NYC, a women-only track event.