Ctrl F "The easiest way to get Pao out (if that is your intention) is to force her out by getting her fired. (Do you really think she is going to just resign from Reddit because you want her to? Just look how she is handling her lawsuit with Kleiner Perkins - she lost the case and is now asking for $2.1 million not to appeal? "Give me money or I will try to swing at the ball again," said the angry little girl. "I might hit it this time and make you chase it." Her ego is way outta control that she thinks anyone cares about a potential appeal on what has been deemed a loser case.)
Make no mistake. There are people above her watching this play out very closely at the moment. Looking for their opportunity. YOU are their opportunity. You're gonna have to get her FIRED by Advanced Publications (corporate owner of Reddit).
But here's the good news: That's gonna be easy. Here's how:
Abandon Reddit in large numbers (temporarily? permanently?). I know that sounds like the nuclear option, but hear me out. There is no way Ms. Pao is leaving on her own. We know that. But if her decisions directly cause a loss of large number of the user base, and thereby erode advertiser motivation at the very time Reddit needs to increase revenues via ad development, she will not have a choice. She will be handed her hat in SHORT order. In fact, I would probably assume Advanced Publications is already looking for a reason to boot her based on her (alleged) lack of interpersonal skills and management ineptitude (they already only allow her the Interim CEO title, which means "you're good enough for this week, but you're not our real CEO), but based on her history they know they need a VERY solid and defensible reason (just cause) so that she doesn't sue Advanced Publications like she did Kleiner for some BS additional money grab on her way out.
You handle dangerous cargo with care. That is the position AP is in.
So... you rage quit, putting some time into a competitive site and building that community there just in case your reddit exit needs to be permanent. And Pao eventually gets fired, or a new CEO is named to replace her Interim status, and she quietly gets fired soon after.
So what happens next? Does Reddit die?
That's really your choice. You can stay away and build a news and comment sharing community elsewhere, waiting until Pao is out at Reddit, at which point you can come back and rebuild the Reddit community here later (with its already complete mobile apps and robust platform)... Or... you stay away, let Reddit die, and have fun building some other site up and seeing how they develop it with Reddit's mistakes to learn from and with your influence affecting them. And that's really not a big deal. Popular sites fail all the time. You abandoned Digg for Reddit. Why not move onto the next thing for a while to see what happens? I'm sure your decision to return to Reddit or not will ultimately depend on who AP puts into the CEO seat anyway. You will be forcing the change to occur so you can then make that decision.
And on that note, please DO be careful what you wish for on this whole burn the witch path. You never know who AP will appoint if temporary Reddit abandonment to oust Pao is your plan. If you bounce and she gets fired and someone as unlikeable comes in, you may have to stay away indefinitely, just building a new and open community somewhere else. And BTW, don't bitch about their advertising plans there. People need to pay the bills somehow. This is an internet BUSINESS, after all is said and done.
Also: in your haste to burn this motherfucker down, please also know you will be literally destroying the professional career of a fellow human being who may just be in a weird stage in her life where she is making a large mistake on a very volatile topic decision because of a personal development myopathy. To Pao's defense, there IS a good argument to be made in favor of shutting down the fat people hate groups because of a fine line the FPHers have crossed. While it may be justifiable to pick on fat people who claim their fat as a disability over which they have no control (quit eating carbs - it's science), it is not appropriate to simply paint with a wide brush that all fat people should be ridiculed for being fat period without having the attitude that they had no action in making themselves that way. Most fat people know it is their own fault they are fat. Most fat people are not happy with the fact they are fat. Many of them don't have the strength to help themselves because of psychological issues that cause them to eat more than they should. But regardless of their mental illness, they try to live life as best they can, to include some of them saying, "fuck it, I'm always gonna be fat, so why not try and be happy about it without getting in peoples' faces about it" and that is actually great for them.
Picking on the people who are fat and can't psychologically help it and aren't in your face that they should have special rights because they are fat is like picking on homeless people who can't help their psychological plight either and just accept it. Fuck YOU, if you pick on helpless homeless or helpless fat people who are just trying to be privately happy and are not all in your face about it not being their fault. Make no mistake that YOU are the asshole in that situation.
So be careful with your next steps. If you aren't 100% comfortable that you are not in the right on this, if Ellen Pao gets fired because you abandon Reddit either temporarily or long term, she will be poisoned against anyone else hiring her ever for any executive position. She sued Kleiner, so she will never get VC dollars for any venture she is associated with, so her startup days are done. And no Board will ever hire her for a CEO slot after two abysmal self destructions in her past.
At best, she will probably wind up practicing law somewhere in the Silicon Valley or Boston Mass areas for a major firm specializing in technology analysis and lawsuit viability... they won't care if she turns out to be a vampire bitch on steroids (law firms love those type of folks - as long as you're on their side). She will eventually make junior partner, but she will hate it in comparison to what she really wants... which is to perpetually make it onto the various most powerful women in business lists... Which is now probably a dream which she doesn't yet realize is over for her.
So yes... you have the ability to do that to her if you wish by abandoning the site either until she's gone or more closer to forever. If you want to be that anonymously hateful person, go for it. I'm not sure she is the right person for the position anyway. But know this gets way uglier for everyone before it gets any prettier.
So now is the time to either give up your fight and resign to Pao's wishes, or partly destroy this Reddit thing you love and hope you can rebuild it here later or rebuild it elsewhere better.
Please add whatever points I am missing, and it was lovely interfacing with you all before now surely being shadow banned very soon for suggesting actions that may remove Pao from power. (Like I care if I get banned. I'm probably leaving the site anyway because I have a pattern of removing drama from my life, and this place just went drama overboard.) ;-) I'll get more work done anyway. Peace."
Was not disappointed.