Alexis Ohanian Quotes

Powerful Alexis Ohanian for Daily Growth

About Alexis Ohanian

Alexis Ohanian is an American entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, best known as co-founder of Reddit – one of the world's largest social news platforms. Born on April 24, 1983, in Brooklyn, New York City, to Armenian-American parents, Anke and Chris Ohanian, he spent his early life immersed in technology. His father, an engineer at Bell Labs, nurtured Alexis's curiosity for computers and the internet from a young age. In 2005, while studying at the University of Virginia, Alexis co-founded Reddit with classmate Steve Huffman. The platform quickly gained popularity due to its user-driven content and unique community-building features. In 2011, Ohanian left his executive role at Reddit but remained on the board, paving the way for its subsequent acquisition by Condé Nast in 2019. Apart from Reddit, Ohanian co-founded Hipmunk – a travel search website and mobile app – in 2010. After being acquired by SAP Concur in 2016, he became an active investor, founding Initialized Capital with Garry Tan, where they support innovative startups like Instacart, Opendoor, and Bumble. Ohanian gained public attention in 2016 when his then-girlfriend, tennis champion Serena Williams, returned to professional tennis after giving birth and won the Australian Open – an event Ohanian live-tweeted from the sidelines. In 2017, he wrote "Without Their Permission: How the 21st Century Will Be Made," a book discussing his journey as an entrepreneur and offering insights on innovation, disruption, and digital culture. Ohanian has been recognized for his contributions to technology and business, receiving various awards such as the World Technology Award in the Internet/Web category (2008) and Fortune's 40 Under 40 list (2015). Beyond his professional pursuits, he is dedicated to social issues, serving on the board of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow."

This quote by Alexis Ohanian suggests that the Internet, a global network accessible via digital devices, serves as a central gathering place or community hub for people worldwide, much like physical town squares in traditional societies. Just as town squares were places where people met, shared ideas, exchanged goods, and fostered social connections, the Internet functions similarly on a global scale, allowing individuals to communicate, collaborate, learn, and grow collectively regardless of geographic boundaries. This digital town square enables us to expand our understanding of the world, break down cultural barriers, and ultimately, strengthen our interconnectedness as a global community.


"If we've learned anything from the Internet, it's that no one really knows what they're doing until they start doing it."

This quote by Alexis Ohanian suggests that there is an element of uncertainty and learning involved in taking the first step towards a new endeavor or exploring uncharted territory, such as the internet in its early days. It implies that individuals may not have all the answers or expertise before embarking on something, but the only way to truly understand and succeed is by diving in and gaining practical experience. This perspective encourages people to be confident in their ability to learn and adapt along the way, rather than feeling the need to know everything before taking action.


"Life is too short for long meetings."

Alexis Ohanian's quote emphasizes that life's limited duration should encourage efficient use of time, such as minimizing prolonged meetings which could otherwise detract from more meaningful or productive activities. It suggests prioritizing brevity and effectiveness in professional settings to maintain a balance between work and personal pursuits.


"The biggest risk is not taking any risk... In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks."

This quote by Alexis Ohanian highlights the importance of taking calculated risks in a rapidly-changing world. The message implies that stagnation or avoidance of risk can lead to failure, as circumstances evolve and new opportunities emerge. Instead, embracing risk with thoughtful decision making is crucial for growth, innovation, and success.


"When you innovate, you've got to be prepared for everyone telling you you're nuts."

This quote underscores the reality that breakthrough ideas often face skepticism or dismissal due to their novelty and perceived risk. Innovation requires a willingness to challenge the status quo, which can lead others to view it as unconventional or even irrational. However, the true visionary embraces this criticism, recognizing that it is part of the process of bringing about meaningful change.


On my father's side, I'm descended from immigrants, one of whom was a Syrian refugee from the Armenian genocide, and my mother was an immigrant from Germany whose visa had expired and, for a year and change, was undocumented here in the U.S.

- Alexis Ohanian

Father, Year, Here, Syrian

Unless it's really an emergency, I'm not going to bother you. And you can see people chafe at that. 'You're in the same office and instant-message each other? Why don't you just walk over?' That's the perfect example of how ingrained the status quo is. To certain people, it may seem lazy, but I would argue it's much more efficient and considerate.

- Alexis Ohanian

Lazy, Perfect, Other, Perfect Example

Being effective at social media, whether for business or personal use, means capturing people who have short attention spans. They're only a click away from a picture of a funny cat, so you have to make your thing more compelling than that cat. And that can be a high bar.

- Alexis Ohanian

Away, Use, Compelling, Spans

My junior year, I went to an LSAT-prep course. I flipped over my test and thought, 'You bastards.' I walked out and went to Waffle House. That's where I had what I call 'The Waffle House Epiphany': I didn't want to be a lawyer. I wanted to make a dent in the universe.

- Alexis Ohanian

Thought, Year, Flipped, Junior

Status quo just means that everyone's doing it. It doesn't mean that this was divinely ordained, and of course this is the right decision.

- Alexis Ohanian

Decision, Doing, Means, Status Quo

Reddit has attracted a lefty, libertarian audience since the beginning.

- Alexis Ohanian

Beginning, Audience, Lefty, Libertarian

I am consistently impressed by reddit. I'd say on a near weekly basis, by little things. Whether it's - I absolutely love seeing the Photoshop jobs that people do. Not of silly cats, but of redditors who are like, 'I have this photo of like my mom. This is the last photo I took with her. She was in the hospital. Can any of you clean this photo up?'

- Alexis Ohanian

Love, Mom, Impressed, Photoshop

The reason why I think Reddit is still around and some of our competitors are not is because we were really adamant about maintaining the integrity of the site.

- Alexis Ohanian

Think, Reason, Some, Maintaining

The Internet is too transformative for incumbents to not want to try to stifle or curb it - incumbents in the sense of multinational corporations, governments, take your pick.

- Alexis Ohanian

Want, Sense, Stifle, Multinational

So much of Reddit as a product was built on the shoulders of giants... We did some novel remixes of it but, at the end of the day, it was that: Grit and good luck.

- Alexis Ohanian

Product, Shoulders, Some, Giants

Reddit offers the opportunity for us as humans to connect on a much deeper, broader level because users have an alter ego and aren't tied to a social network of friends with whom they want to share how perfect their lives are.

- Alexis Ohanian

Ego, Perfect, Network, Broader

Like most entrepreneurs, getting motivated to work has never been a problem for me; focus comes through delegating tasks to the best people you can find.

- Alexis Ohanian

Through, Motivated, Been, Tasks

It thrills me to write reference letters for enterprising founders who are looking to get visas to start their companies here, to create value and jobs for these United States.

- Alexis Ohanian

Here, United, United States, Letters

The best part of being an angel investor is seeing these kids coming up with companies that get way more traffic than Reddit had when we sold it. I think, 'Are you kidding me? They're just kids, and they've done so much.'

- Alexis Ohanian

Best, I Think, Part, Best Part

Word of mouth now has a unprecedented influence because it spreads so far and so fast.

- Alexis Ohanian

Fast, Mouth, Spreads, Unprecedented

It's a fight to get anyone other than your mom to care about your startup.

- Alexis Ohanian

Other, Get, Anyone, Startup

If you've never seen people taking the pledge of allegiance for the first time as U.S. Citizens, it will move you: a room full of people who can really appreciate what I was lucky enough to grow up with, simply by being born in Brooklyn.

- Alexis Ohanian

Appreciate, Lucky, Seen, Pledge

I hate phone calls, so I believe in a telephone armistice. To me, the idea of calling someone unprompted is basically saying, 'Hey, stop whatever you're doing and talk to me right now.' If you find yourself in the middle of something, getting an unprompted annoyance is incredibly frustrating.

- Alexis Ohanian

Doing, Idea, Annoyance, Hey

Pitch tip: Speak confidently about your product, but be able to admit when you need more information, and get it to the people you're pitching quickly after the meeting.

- Alexis Ohanian

Product, More, Need, Confidently

I'd like to see the word 'entrepreneur' knocked off its pedestal. Being 'entrepreneurial' is something I look for not only in founders to invest in, but also employees to hire.

- Alexis Ohanian

Hire, Like, Pedestal, Entrepreneur

It takes discipline not to let social media steal your time.

- Alexis Ohanian

Discipline, Social, Steal, Social Media

Love making jewelry? Awesome! Find blogs that inspire you, follow people on social media who have great taste, start an Etsy store, and borrow a friend's DSLR to take some beautiful photos of your craft. All of this costs $0.

- Alexis Ohanian

Love, Some, Blogs, Social Media

The reason people need advice on using social media is that they're a much more complex and nuanced way to communicate than a conversation or email.

- Alexis Ohanian

Reason, Communicate, Using, Social Media

Reddit was created for people to speak freely and authentically and also for us to protect and value privacy. We're sort of the anti-Facebook in that regard.

- Alexis Ohanian

Privacy, Created, Also, Freely

What makes Reddit special is that people feel free to express themselves. Where we want to draw the line is where that feeling of being able to express oneself freely starts to infringe on someone feeling like they can express themselves.

- Alexis Ohanian

Want, Line, Like, Freely

I try not to have the computer in the bedroom. I used to sleep with it, though. I used to wake up spooning my laptop.

- Alexis Ohanian

Wake Up, Used, Though, Bedroom

Until we actually get legislation that protects our rights online, we will continue to fight against stupid, lobbyist-bought legislation. We want bills that protect us, not ones that destroy us.

- Alexis Ohanian

Stupid, Will, Protects, Legislation

Reddit is a network where someone with a million karma points has an equal shot as someone with 10 karma points to hit the #1 post or comment.

- Alexis Ohanian

Karma, Points, Network, Comment

As long as people are using the Internet, people are going to do stupid stuff, and people are going to do bad stuff. And by the time that robots are sentient, they're going to enslave us anyway, so it won't matter.

- Alexis Ohanian

Stupid, By The Time, Using, Robots

I get a lot more out of the - the touchy feely stuff that happens on reddit. And while I love the snark, and it makes me laugh, I am happy that there is this wonderful balance that plays out on reddit. Or you can get both. I enjoy having my cake and eating it too, especially if it's not a lie, and chocolate.

- Alexis Ohanian

Love, Happy, I Am Happy, Laugh

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