Between Alexis Ohanian and the 35 million militant Internet users he represents, it’s sometimes hard to tell who’s leading the march on Washington and who’s following. When the 29-year-old entrepreneur was invited to speak to Congress about the Stop Online Piracy Act in January, he asked users of Reddit, the massively popular link-sharing site he cofounded in 2005, what he should tell legislators. Hundreds of responses offered him talking points about how the bill known as SOPA would cripple the Web and kill jobs. When he suggested Reddit help put up a “Don’t Mess With the Internet” billboard outside of the San Antonio office of the bill’s author, Congressman Lamar Smith, Reddit’s users (who call themselves “redditors”) designed and funded the $15,000 stunt in days. http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2012/0625/technology-politics-alexis-ohanian-reddit-sopa-mayor-of-internet.htmlMonday, July 2, 2012
How Reddit's Alexis Ohanian Became The Mayor Of The Internet
Between Alexis Ohanian and the 35 million militant Internet users he represents, it’s sometimes hard to tell who’s leading the march on Washington and who’s following. When the 29-year-old entrepreneur was invited to speak to Congress about the Stop Online Piracy Act in January, he asked users of Reddit, the massively popular link-sharing site he cofounded in 2005, what he should tell legislators. Hundreds of responses offered him talking points about how the bill known as SOPA would cripple the Web and kill jobs. When he suggested Reddit help put up a “Don’t Mess With the Internet” billboard outside of the San Antonio office of the bill’s author, Congressman Lamar Smith, Reddit’s users (who call themselves “redditors”) designed and funded the $15,000 stunt in days. http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2012/0625/technology-politics-alexis-ohanian-reddit-sopa-mayor-of-internet.html