Via: Source

When she first stepped in as interim CEO almost 2 years ago now, the decision was almost immediately controversial. Whether that was fair or not, is still up for debate in the eyes of most.

However, over those past 2 years, what has become less debatable, was how vocally the users of Reddit, who are amongst the most passionate (sometimes questionably so) communities on the internet, were beginning to speak out against her stewardship of the website.

The news of her resignation comes after what others have described as a full-scale user revolt took place, following the firing of a popular Reddit employee named Victoria Taylor, which many Reddit users attributed directly to Ms. Pao, often in vitriolic, sexist, or hateful ways (or all 3). A petition with over 200,000 signatures circulated around the site as well. As was previously mentioned, Reddit is a site with an incredibly passionate user base.

In terms of commentary on this sensitive subject, we would offer only this; the internet is a strange, roiling, and sometimes scary place. But the users of Reddit got their way, which although an unfortunate example, shows a positive side of the internet; the ability for people to organize themselves for a cause. Even if in this case it was a pretty mean-spirited one.