10 Things You Didn’t Know About Steve Huffman
Steve Huffman is an American entrepreneur and businessman who achieved a remarkable level of success in the business world before reaching the age of 30. Young entrepreneurs may benefit from learning about Mr. Huffman and the choices that he made that gave him an edge on getting ahead in his career. Here are 10 things about Steve Huffman that you probably didn’t know.
1. Steve Huffman co-founded Reddit
Huffman and a partner founded the popular opinion forum Reddit. Reddit has achieved rank among the top 20 websites in the world. It’s known for being a place where people share their opinions about a variety of social issues. The site has stirred up its share of controversy over the years. Huffman goes by the username Spez on the site.
2. Huffman is a web developer
Steve Huffman has been fascinated with computers and programming them since he was very young. When he was just 8 years old he started programming computers. It’s no wonder that he made his fortune in related businesses. He has a natural talent for web development that he discovered at an early age.
3. He’s a native of Virginia
Huffman was born in Warrenton, Virginia on November 12, 1983. This is the place that he spent his early years, attending Wakefield School in The Plains Virginia. He graduated from the school in 2001, then went on to attend the University of Virginia. He majored in computer science. He earned his degree from the institution in 2005, then embarked on his career.
4. Hufffman’s idea for the first mobile food ordering system was rejected.
While attending classes at the University of Virginia, Steve and his college roommate Alexis Ohanian went to Boston to hear Paul Graham speak at a lecture. Graham was a notable programmer and entrepreneur. They were inspired at the lecture and spoke to him afterward. He invited them to apply for jobs at Y Combinator, Graham’s startup incubator. Huffman had an idea for a business for ordering food via SMS, called My Mobile menu, but it was rejected. He and Ohanian were invited to make another pitch. They put together plans for a website that would see as the “front page of the internet.” This site became what is now known as Reddit. They launched the site in June of 2005 with the backing of Y Combinator. Huffman served as the CEO of the business for several years.
5. He left Reddit, then returned later
Huffman and his partner sold Reddit in October of 2006 to Conde Nast for a sum between $10 and $20 million. He stayed on as the CEO of Reddit until 2009 when he resigned and moved on to other pursuits. He regretted his decision to sell the company and returned when the CEO of the business stepped down. He was hired back and continues to work in the leadership of Reddit, redesigning the infrastructure and making necessary changes that enhance the mobile website.
6. Steve Huffman is a mentor for programmers
Huffman is an educator at heart who continues to give of his time to help other programmers get ahead. He has given time to the students at Hackbright Academy and others. He attends coding boot camps to mentor those aspiring to become programmers. This is an area of expertise for Steve and he enjoys sharing his knowledge with others. He also served as an instructor for Udacity’s e-learning courses on web development. He continues to give back to his community in many different ways, but his passion is to inspire those who are on a career path in this sector of the tech industry.
7. Steve partnered with Adam Goldstein
Adam Goldstein is a software developer and author. He and Steve Huffman partnered to create the Hipmunk travel website in 2010. After the sit launched, Huffman became the Chief Technology Officer for the company with Goldstein as the CEO, according to The Famous People. Huffman remained with the company until 2015 when he rejoined Reddit.
8. Huffman endured controversy
After rejoining Reddit, Huffman instituted new content guidelines for the social discussion area. He established guidelines that banned any content that had the potential to offend other users or incite violence. This was seen as an attack on free speech and it drew a firestorm of controversy. He also advocated for the removal of some communities that went against his new regulations. He explained that free speech was important to those at Reddit but the site was not intended to be a bastion of free speech. Proof that Reddit had modified some of the comments of users was shared by a fellow user which led to further controversy on the matter of free speech and administrator interference.
9. Huffman is a prolific speaker
According to the website All American Speakers, Steve Huffman is making his rounds in the guest and keynote speaking circuit. He is listed in multiple categories offering his expertise on the subjects of Technology, STEM, Social Media and Social Networking, Science and Technology, and Entrepreneurism.
10. It’s expensive to have Steve Huffman speak to your group
The fees and rates for booking Steve Huffman to speak at an event range from $100,000 to $200,000 for a live event. He also participates in virtual events, but you must contact the site for more information. Huffman will travel to various locations, but this also requires contact to discuss the details and the costs for having him travel. Fees are charged per the distance and the length of the event. Huffman is a busy guy who is still in charge of leading Reddit, but he makes the time to travel to special events to speak in front of groups to mentor those who are interested in becoming programmers and related occupations. Although it’s expensive to book him as a keynote speaker or mentor, he brings a wealth of experience and expert knowledge in a variety of subtopics related to the topics stated above.