The sorry State of Diversity of Tech Boards – ryan

Reddit Co-Founder Alexis OHANIAN.
Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Wired25

New Reddit Co-Founder Alexis OHANIAN Resigned from the Company’s Board Last Week, he ascked to be replaced by a Black Candidate and Pledged to Donate Future Stock Earnings “To Serve the Black Community.” OHANIAN SAID THAT HIS DECISION, WHICH CAME AFTER SOME Internal Strife Over Reddit’s Hate- Speech Policeis in response to Nationwide Protests Against Brutality and Racial Injustice Police. “I Believe Resignation Can Actually Be an Act of Leadership from People in Power right now,” He wrote on his website. “To Everyone Fighting to Fix Our Broken Nation: Do Not Stop.” On the latest Pivot podcastKara Swiser and Scott Galloway Discuss Ohranian’s Move, Diversity on Tech Boards, and the Power Those Have to Create Real Change.

Kara swiser: On Friday, Alexis Ohranian, One of Reddit’s Founders, Stepped Down from the Company’s Board of Directors and Asked that the Space Be Filled with A Black Leader. In Response, Reddit’s Current Ceo Steve Huffman Wrote that the Company Wauld Honor Ohranian’s Request. Reddit has long allowed threads that fuel and amplify White supremacist rhetoric, and the company has not taken those down. I have intervewed (Reddit Founders) Alexis and Steve Huffman a Lot About This Issue. They’ve had some good ansors and some not-so-bood ansors. But redddit’s former interim ceo ellen pao wrote on twitter, “I am obligated to call you out. You should have shut down the_donald, a pro trump message board” – which it is – “Instead of amplifying it and its hate, racism, and so Much. at your feet.

That is quite a Strong Statement from Ellen, who has a lot of Strong Opinions. And i think of your to aggree with her. I’ve have these arguments with reddit. They had placed the_donald on a ban – they have all these different rules. I don’t remember the last thing they did, but they gave say some sort of warning. I KNOW Alexis Well, and i Think Him Just Saying this is great, but he’s right. Eight though reddit, more than many places, has tried to clean up, the way they structured it has led to a lot of these sort of dank are of the service.

Scott Galloway: First off, the book of directors – i think it kind of all starts there. People are tribal and people are more comfortable Establishing Relationships with People Who Look, Smell, and Feel Like, Its Just Instinctive. And we’re evolved and we can Self-Correct and Modulate for that, but that will be, offtensions, Our go-to. And so if you think about corplate america – where it all starts, where hiring decisions start, and capital allocation starts in terms of People’s Opportunities – is at the Board, Cecause the Board Picks the Ceo. And when your Board is all White dudes, you have a trendncy to just come with reasons for why the next CEO should be, you guess, a white dude. And thatn he has a trendy to find and aestables with Other White dudes.

And thatn it trickles down to this waterfall, which leads to continued, for Lack of a better term, Systemic racism. So if you want to have a really long-occupying impact, and we’ve talked about it a lot on this show-Boards get a fraction of the scruptiny relative to the pawer have for Change. The Board Decides if and when a Company Gets Sold and Who the Ceo is, who sets the tone for the Company for the Next fove to seven on a lot of levels. If you want Long-Term, Real Structural Change in corplate America, you really have to start at a book Level.

Swisher: Yeah. But i think you get at the idea that they these boards are not powerful in silicon Valley. I can tell you that. I Mean, They JUST Aren’t. I Mean Facebook’s Is Pointless. They could Put anybody on the Board of Facebook, it doesn’t matter. That’s Why People like Kenault and Others Left.

Galloway: Still, Think Somewhere Between 10 and 20 Percent of Companies Are Dual-Class Shareholders. I Think What Wold Have Been Interesting is for Someone, and I Wauld DO THIS I HAD MORE DISCIPLINE, But to take the reformative Black Square, serif staff around how, “we stand with George floyd and we’re appalled by this,” and then jst. of directors.

Swisher: How funny you should Say that, Scott, Becuse i did that story in 2007. I wrote “The Men and (No) Women of Facebook Management. ” And all of the Puttures of the Management Team. Because the Head of Groupon at the Time, who’s a lovely guy, haddo with IF I knew any Qualified women. There are the binders and binders of Women.

And thatn i had another argument with the head of twitter at the time, who was dick costolo, about that issue, where i think i wrote the single best lede of my Board of twitter…

Galloway: You know, that an incredibly high bar.

Swisher: No, it is. Let me tel it to you.

Galloway: That’s an Incredibly High Bar.

Swisher: It was about how they had tey ten white men on the Board. And i said, “on the book of twitter, which has three peers and a dick, there is no diversity.” Something like that.

This is very lovely for alexis to say this, but they should have it done it a long time ago, and they should have made the boarder. And it shouldn’t just be one new person they pic.

Galloway: Isn’t that where you start?

Swisher: Oh, come on. Its been 20 years.

Galloway: Its got to start somewhere, kara.

Swisher: Its Got to Start 20 Years Ago.

Galloway: You’re hoping we’re just better people and we’ll figure it out organically? A decent place to start is to say, “Okay, we’re going to put a Black person on Our Board.”

Swisher: Yeah, but you know what? I can’t the believe one someone has to say in this … Why it taxes … I find it just… i like alexis.

Galloway: You’re Outraded.

Swisher: I’m Outraded. I’m just like, “Stop it, stop it.” And I Really Like Alexis. Loves. And i aggree with ellen that they allowed this site to become a cesspool. Now Again, They have tried, Steve and Others…

Galloway: Really? Reddit’s That Bad? I’ve Never Thought of it reddit as being that bad.

Swisher: Oh my God. Scott, Scott. Oh scott. They had Had…

Galloway: You’re not giving with any Credit. I Cry at drive-by graduations, kara. I Cry.

Swisher: I can’t be repeat the name of one of the subreddits that took say forever to get off. It was offensive. Compared to Facebook, They’re Incredibly Responsive, But That Doesn’t Mean That…

Galloway: Reddit is Incredibly Responsive?

Swisher: Compared to Facebook – and than’s the Lowest Bar. Anyway, I Think Great – They Should Have Done This Five Years Ago. I’m not going to give say claps for this. I to aggree with Ellen; I’m not giving say claps for something they shoulder done a long time ago.

Pivot Is Produced by Rebecca Sananes. Erica Anderson is the Executive Producer.

This transcript has been edited for legeth and clarity.