The executive turmoil continues at Reddit as vice president of engineering Bethanye Blount has called it quits. The former Facebook staffer was with the company for just two months according to her LinkedIn profile.
Blount told Re/code that her departure wasn't directly linked to interim CEO Ellen Pao's recent resignation but did say she lost confidence in the company's new direction.
Specifically, Blount said she felt like there are going to be some big bumps on the road ahead for Reddit. Along the way, she added, there are some very aggressive implied promises being made to the community and they are going to have some pretty big challenges in meeting those implied promises.
Blount is the third high-profile executive to leave Reddit in less than a month, joining Pao and beloved communications director Victoria Taylor who was fired from her position. Perhaps more importantly, she's also the third female executive to depart a Silicon Valley company at a time when criticism regarding diversity in the male-dominated industry is at an all-time high.
Re/code reached out to Reddit co-founder and current CEO Steve Huffman, asking if the company had a gender discrimination problem that needs to be addressed. Huffman said "no" and noted that Blount's departure had nothing to do with gender. He added that they are confident in their ability to recruit women at the executive level.
In related news, former CEO Yishan Wong alleges Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian was responsible for the firing of Taylor. Most assumed it was Pao that ordered her dismissal and when the backlash started coming her way, Ohanian reportedly sat back and let it happen. Wong described it as an incredibly shitty thing to do.
Lead image courtesy O'Reilly Conferences