Alexis Ohanian

to basically pay me to build websites for them because html building websites was thing i was very keen on i just enjoyed the design i enjoyed building and it made me feel really cool to be a child on these message boards like a teenager being able to get paid by adults because i had a skill they didn't have and so i learned so much through those experiences and i learned

to basically pay me to build websites for them because html building websites was thing i was very keen on i just enjoyed the design i enjoyed building and it made me feel really cool to be a child on these message boards like a teenager being able to get paid by adults because i had a skill they didn't have and so i learned so much through those experiences and i learned

from video games, leadership skills, if you can believe it. And in building Reddit, it was simply a way to build a better type of forum that would be a better way for online community to form. And over the last now 20 years since, I look first and foremost for these things. And I think in a world increasingly more fractured and divided,

from video games, leadership skills, if you can believe it. And in building Reddit, it was simply a way to build a better type of forum that would be a better way for online community to form. And over the last now 20 years since, I look first and foremost for these things. And I think in a world increasingly more fractured and divided,

and where people spend, just frankly, more of their time online, these spaces matter even more. And it's something, for the first probably 10 years of Reddit, most people didn't think it was possible for people to care that much about their online identity as they did their offline. That was one of those things that I really held fast to, and I think today we sort of take for granted.

and where people spend, just frankly, more of their time online, these spaces matter even more. And it's something, for the first probably 10 years of Reddit, most people didn't think it was possible for people to care that much about their online identity as they did their offline. That was one of those things that I really held fast to, and I think today we sort of take for granted.

Of course, people care, in many cases, much more about their online persona than their offline one. And I just hope to see it get used for more and more good at a time when, like I said, there's more division than ever. And the power of community is still something that I think runs deep in our species. And the internet is just a new medium to connect and hopefully for good.

Of course, people care, in many cases, much more about their online persona than their offline one. And I just hope to see it get used for more and more good at a time when, like I said, there's more division than ever. And the power of community is still something that I think runs deep in our species. And the internet is just a new medium to connect and hopefully for good.

Early on, people were often very confused why someone would spend so much of their free time moderating a community for free, essentially community management. And I'd often frame it, I grew up here in the United States, I was a Boy Scout, there were parents who were often involved volunteering for the Boy Scouts.

Early on, people were often very confused why someone would spend so much of their free time moderating a community for free, essentially community management. And I'd often frame it, I grew up here in the United States, I was a Boy Scout, there were parents who were often involved volunteering for the Boy Scouts.

They'd be there for camping trips, they'd be there for meetings, they'd be helping out volunteering their time and energy. for community. And so I really took for granted the fact that if people wanted to do this offline for whatever organizations, faith groups, et cetera, that online these connections matter just as much, even though they may not feel as real.

They'd be there for camping trips, they'd be there for meetings, they'd be helping out volunteering their time and energy. for community. And so I really took for granted the fact that if people wanted to do this offline for whatever organizations, faith groups, et cetera, that online these connections matter just as much, even though they may not feel as real.

And in fact, you can scale your time so much more efficiently, right? You can build a community of literally millions of people from your home. And that gives you a sense of purpose and a feeling of, you know, being able to create the sense of belonging for people. And that's, that's really meaningful. I mean, that is something that I've just seen continue to impress people.

And in fact, you can scale your time so much more efficiently, right? You can build a community of literally millions of people from your home. And that gives you a sense of purpose and a feeling of, you know, being able to create the sense of belonging for people. And that's, that's really meaningful. I mean, that is something that I've just seen continue to impress people.

I did not realize the full scale to which that would actually be working. And then probably the other side of it is just how important creating that sense of why for people is. I remember reading the book Bowling Alone, which talked a lot about a generation of adults who used to be a part of bowling leagues and these other things, but you saw this decline.

I did not realize the full scale to which that would actually be working. And then probably the other side of it is just how important creating that sense of why for people is. I remember reading the book Bowling Alone, which talked a lot about a generation of adults who used to be a part of bowling leagues and these other things, but you saw this decline.

And people, in this case, it was men, but in general, people needing to find more and more of that connective tissue in their community and not having that sense of belonging. And I feel like in a lot of ways, the internet has created great versions of it. But at the same time, it's also created these

And people, in this case, it was men, but in general, people needing to find more and more of that connective tissue in their community and not having that sense of belonging. And I feel like in a lot of ways, the internet has created great versions of it. But at the same time, it's also created these

know the sort of dystopian versions of it where you can spend all of that time absorbed in a world that is online and miss out i think we have a generation of young people who i'm generalizing here but a lot of whom don't have the same muscle that they've they have not exercised the same muscles that we had growing up when it comes to relating and connecting to their fellow humans sitting across from them and you know as the father of two kids it's something i think about a lot

know the sort of dystopian versions of it where you can spend all of that time absorbed in a world that is online and miss out i think we have a generation of young people who i'm generalizing here but a lot of whom don't have the same muscle that they've they have not exercised the same muscles that we had growing up when it comes to relating and connecting to their fellow humans sitting across from them and you know as the father of two kids it's something i think about a lot