Ellen Pao
Ellen Pao | |
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Pao in 2015 | |
| Born | 1970 (age 54–55) New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Princeton University (BA) Harvard University (JD, MBA) |
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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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Ellen Kangru Pao (Chinese: 鮑康如; born 1970) is an American lawyer and businesswoman who was the chief executive officer (CEO) of the social media company Reddit from 2014 to 2015. Since 2016, she has been the cofounder and CEO of the nonprofit diversity consulting organization Project Include.
Pao first became known in 2012 for filing a gender discrimination lawsuit 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.