On Wednesday, Reddit announced the appointment of Y Combinator CEO Michael Seibel as Reddit’s new board member. The news comes just one week after co-founder Alexis Ohanian resigned amid global protests against racial injustice.

Ohanian stepped down as “an act of leadership from people in power” and requested that he be replaced by a Black candidate.

“I want to thank Steve, Alexis, and the entire Reddit board for this opportunity. I’ve known Steve and Alexis since 2007 and have been a Reddit user ever since,” Seibel said in a statement. “Over this period of time I’ve watched Reddit become part of the core fabric of the internet and I’m excited to help provide advice and guidance as Reddit continues to grow and tackle the challenges of bringing community and belonging to a broader audience.”

Welcome to the Reddit family, @mwseibel! Joining as our newest Board member, Michael brings an extensive background in growing social tech companies and is passionate about increasing diversity within the industry.

Read more in our latest blog. https://t.co/6Gh04xnOMA

— Reddit (@Reddit) June 10, 2020

According to the Reddit post, Seibel has founded a series of startups, including Justin.tv, the interactive video platform that would later become Twitch, and Socialcam.

In 2013, the Brooklyn-born Yale graduate started working at Y Combinator then became the company’s first Black partner in 2014 before moving up to CEO in 2016. Additionally, Seibel has also been an angel investor for companies such as Reddit, AptDeco, Squire, and more.

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A post shared by Y Combinator (@ycombinator)

“Few people have Michael’s deep background in tech and know the challenges and opportunities we face as well as he does,” said Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman of Seibel’s appointment. “So we are honored he is joining us. Not to mention, he is one of the smartest and kindest people in tech.”

YC

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