Ellen Pao
Ellen Kangru Pao (born 1970) is an American investor and former interim CEO of social media company Reddit.
Ellen Pao | |
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Ellen Pao in 2015 | |
| Born | 1970 (age 53–54) New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Princeton University (BA) Harvard University (JD, MBA) |
| Occupation(s) | Attorney, executive |
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| Children | 1 (with Fletcher) |
| Website | ellenkpao |
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| Traditional Chinese | 鮑康如 | ||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Bào Kāngrú | ||||||
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Pao first became known in 2012 for filing a failed gender discrimination suit against her employer, venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, and has continued to express vocal criticism of the hiring and promotion practices in Silicon Valley.
In 2014, she became interim CEO of Reddit. During this period, the site banned revenge porn, with other social media sites following suit. In 2015, decisions made by the company during her tenure, such as the banning of controversial Reddit communities for harassment, generated a wave of controversy that culminated in her stepping down. The backlash she received sparked debates both on the treatment of women in technology and the need for transparency in a company that relies on volunteers.
Since 2016, she has been the cofounder and CEO of the nonprofit diversity consulting organization Project Include.