--- description: Reddit CEO Ellen Pao apologized on Monday for the site's "long history of mistakes" as a petition calling for her to resign gains steam. title: Reddit CEO Ellen Pao: 'We Screwed Up' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte98826469f2efa2d/698859b3cd684860bc0a0adc/reddit-ellen-pao-apology-petition.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Reddit CEO Ellen Pao: 'We Screwed Up'  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 6, 2015 7:28 PM CUT  Ellen Pao speaks to members of the media after losing her case at the San Francisco Superior Court in San Francisco, Calif., on March 27, 2015. Ellen Pao speaks to members of the media after losing her case at the San Francisco Superior Court in San Francisco, Calif., on March 27, 2015.Josh Edelson—Bloomberg Finance LP  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 6, 2015 7:28 PM CUT Reddit Interim CEO Ellen Pao apologized Monday for a “long history of mistakes,” in an apparent response to the hundreds of thousands of the site’s users who have [called for her to step down](https://www.change.org/p/ellen-k-pao-step-down-as-ceo-of-reddit-inc "undefined") over management decisions. “We screwed up,” Pao conceded in an [announcement](https://www.reddit.com/r/announcements/comments/3cbo4m/we%5Fapologize/ "undefined") posted on Reddit. “We haven’t communicated well, and we have surprised moderators and the community with big changes . . . The mods and the community have lost trust in me and in us, the administrators of reddit.” Pao came under fire over the weekend when Reddit moderators — who are community volunteers, not company employees — began protesting the unexpected dismissal of Reddit’s director of talent, Victoria Taylor. Moderators said they had relied heavily on Taylor to host mega-popular Ask Me Anythings (AMAs), in which users can pose questions to influential or interesting people. Users and moderators speculate Taylor’s dismissal was related to a chaotic AMA she hosted with [Rev. Jesse Jackson](http://time.com/3945674/reddit-victoria-taylor/ "undefined"), though [Reddit has denied the claim.](http://time.com/3945718/reddit-moderator-shut-down/ "undefined") (Reddit has not given a reason for Taylor’s dismissal.) Outraged users also flocked to a [Change.org petition](https://www.change.org/p/ellen-k-pao-step-down-as-ceo-of-reddit-inc "undefined") demanding Pao’s resignation as CEO, which as of Monday afternoon had over 180,000 signatures. The petition, which was posted weeks before Taylor’s dismissal, accuses Pao of censorship and driving the website’s traffic into the ground. It also references Pao’s unsuccessful, high-profile [gender discrimination lawsuit against her former employer](http://time.com/3758017/ellen-pao-gender-diversity-tech-valley/ "undefined"), which denied Pao’s allegations and claimed Pao is “a manipulative individual who will sue her way to the top.” ### See How Tech CEOs Spend Their Money  Steve Jobs The Apple CEO's super yacht Venus was designed by Philippe Starck's design company Ubik. Jobs spent approximately $131 million on it but passed away in 2011 before it was completed. Ed Oudenaarden—AFP/Getty Images  Steve Ballmer In 2014, former Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer spent $2 billion to become the owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. Jeff Gross—Getty Images  Larry Ellison Outgoing Oracle CEO Larry Ellison owns 98% of the 141-square-mile Hawaiian island of Lanai, which he bought for an undisclosed price. He is turning it into a "model for sustainable enterprise," he's said, though details remain sketchy. NASA/Reuters  Larry Page and Sergey Brin Google CEO Larry Page and co-founder Sergey Brin have been attending the Burning Man Arts Festival since the company's early days. There they fund a "theme camp" and how exactly the funds are used is left up to participants' imaginations. Jim Urquhart—Reuters  Bill Gates The former Microsoft CEO is currently the richest man in the world, according to Bloomberg. Since 2000, Gates and his wife have been running the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In total it has issued grants adding up to over $30 billion. Pius Utomi Ekpei—AFP/Getty Images  Elon Musk PayPal Co-Founder Elon Musk (in driver's seat) began as a Series A investor in 2004 and is now the CEO and chief product architect of Tesla Motors. The company created the first mass-produced, highway-capable electric car and is valued at over $18 billion. Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images  Richard Branson Founder of Virgin Group, comprised of more than 400 companies, Branson has invested heavily in spaceship tourism with the SpaceShipTwo vehicle . David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images  Mark Zuckerberg To ensure his privacy, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg bought four of his neighboring houses in 2013 for an estimated $30 million-plus in Palo Alto, California. Noah Berger—Bloomberg/Getty Images In her apology, Pao outlined “three concrete steps” for Reddit’s future: to improve and build new web tools that complement moderators’ work, to improve administrative communication with moderators, and to allow moderators to default to the old version of search. “I mean it when I say we screwed up, and we want to have a meaningful ongoing discussion,” Pao wrote. “I and the team are committed to talking more often with the community, starting now.” Pao, formerly a junior partner at high-profile venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, joined Reddit in 2013\. 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