What happened
In October 2014, Reddit general manager Erik Martin announced he was leaving the company after six years, departing less than a month after Reddit closed its $50 million funding round. Martin had joined as a community manager in 2008 and rose to general manager in 2011, becoming one of the people most credited with guiding Reddit from a niche tech site into a self-described 'front page of the internet.' He helped build the AMA format into a marquee product and championed the platform's largely user-run, anti-corporate ethos.
His exit coincided with a new requirement that all Reddit employees relocate to San Francisco, a policy that conflicted with Martin's New York base and that would soon become a flashpoint in other high-profile departures. Martin's departure marked the loss of a key institutional figure during a turbulent leadership stretch that included Yishan Wong's resignation and the appointment of Ellen Pao as interim CEO. It underscored how the company's professionalization and consolidation in San Francisco strained ties with longtime community-focused staff.