Alexis Ohanian

But I want to do 776 differently. And not because it feels good, but because I actually think it will drive better outcomes. It will mean better leaders, better managers, better founders, which will lead to healthier organizations, which I think will lead to more returns. And these are the ways that we're trying to learn from those experiences.

But I want to do 776 differently. And not because it feels good, but because I actually think it will drive better outcomes. It will mean better leaders, better managers, better founders, which will lead to healthier organizations, which I think will lead to more returns. And these are the ways that we're trying to learn from those experiences.

And I speak with founders to this all the time, especially at the early days, but it never goes away. But especially at the early days, so much of the company takes on your neuroses, your like, you are setting so much of the culture and don't even realize it.

And I speak with founders to this all the time, especially at the early days, but it never goes away. But especially at the early days, so much of the company takes on your neuroses, your like, you are setting so much of the culture and don't even realize it.

even just the way you show up on a zoom call right because you're the founder you're the ceo like you are dictating so much of how other people are going to move and once you repeat those behaviors over and over again what you've done is created a culture intentionally or not and so your baggage your challenges the things that you're not addressing and working through to be your best are going to be inherited by your team and and that's again none of this is

even just the way you show up on a zoom call right because you're the founder you're the ceo like you are dictating so much of how other people are going to move and once you repeat those behaviors over and over again what you've done is created a culture intentionally or not and so your baggage your challenges the things that you're not addressing and working through to be your best are going to be inherited by your team and and that's again none of this is

This is the soulless capitalist talking here, right? I think there's a fantastic emotional argument for it and a health argument for it. But I always try to come first from just the business argument because if it makes sense for business, then it's a no-brainer. Then obviously, if it's going to be for your health and wellness involvement, then you should do it.

This is the soulless capitalist talking here, right? I think there's a fantastic emotional argument for it and a health argument for it. But I always try to come first from just the business argument because if it makes sense for business, then it's a no-brainer. Then obviously, if it's going to be for your health and wellness involvement, then you should do it.

But I do think it has a bottom line impact. I really do.

But I do think it has a bottom line impact. I really do.

Oh, I got that. So here, I'll give you an example. Let it illustrate it. so like two years into conan asked when there's the meme in uh the silicon valley show of resting investing so normally when a founder gets acquired they just hang out at the company and just they don't do anything and they earn out and they leave But again, not me, crazy. So like, I want to keep shipping.

Oh, I got that. So here, I'll give you an example. Let it illustrate it. so like two years into conan asked when there's the meme in uh the silicon valley show of resting investing so normally when a founder gets acquired they just hang out at the company and just they don't do anything and they earn out and they leave But again, not me, crazy. So like, I want to keep shipping.

I want to keep building things. And instead of actually making the case for the engineering team to go and build, in this case, it was a mobile app. So if you can believe it, in 2009, 2010, there was this new thing called the iPhone. And some people were talking about how it was going to be the future of computing.

I want to keep building things. And instead of actually making the case for the engineering team to go and build, in this case, it was a mobile app. So if you can believe it, in 2009, 2010, there was this new thing called the iPhone. And some people were talking about how it was going to be the future of computing.

Now, I was one of those people who, hook, line, and sinker, was like, this is a big deal. And if we're building Reddit to be the destination for what's new and interesting on the internet, we need a mobile app. Now, engineering team did not agree, because the way things had always worked, it was fine on the browser. It worked great on the browser. The company was growing.

Now, I was one of those people who, hook, line, and sinker, was like, this is a big deal. And if we're building Reddit to be the destination for what's new and interesting on the internet, we need a mobile app. Now, engineering team did not agree, because the way things had always worked, it was fine on the browser. It worked great on the browser. The company was growing.

Why change it if it ain't broken? And instead of doing what I should have done, which would have been better leadership, which is actually bring folks in, win them over, make the case, get the buy-in, and then change the product plan, I just hired a freelance team to go and build it. Because... I made a half step of an effort to make the case and do the right thing as a mature manager.

Why change it if it ain't broken? And instead of doing what I should have done, which would have been better leadership, which is actually bring folks in, win them over, make the case, get the buy-in, and then change the product plan, I just hired a freelance team to go and build it. Because... I made a half step of an effort to make the case and do the right thing as a mature manager.

And when I wasn't getting the progress I wanted, my impatience and my relentlessness was like, I can hire other people to build it. We'll just build it. And it worked. We shipped it. Reddit had a mobile app called iReddit. And it was doing well. I was really happy with that pun. I hope people would say iReddit on Reddit. I don't know if anyone's ever said that. But that was the hope.

And when I wasn't getting the progress I wanted, my impatience and my relentlessness was like, I can hire other people to build it. We'll just build it. And it worked. We shipped it. Reddit had a mobile app called iReddit. And it was doing well. I was really happy with that pun. I hope people would say iReddit on Reddit. I don't know if anyone's ever said that. But that was the hope.