Steve Huffman
Also known as spez
Steve Huffman is Reddit's cofounder and CEO, and in 2024 Reddit strikes data deals with Google and OpenAI. He and Alexis Ohanian launch Reddit in 2005 and sell it to Condé Nast in 2006. Reddit hires him back as CEO in 2015, following the resignation of Ellen Pao. TIME names him to its 100 most influential people in AI in 2024 and places him among its Leaders in 2025. In May 2026 he says LLMs would not exist as we know them without Reddit.
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Timeline
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2005
Launching Reddit after UVA
He graduates in computer science from the University of Virginia in 2005. In June 2005 he and Alexis Ohanian launch Reddit, funded by Y Combinator.
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2006
Selling Reddit to Condé Nast
In 2006 he and Ohanian sell Reddit to Condé Nast for a reported $10 million to $20 million.
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2009–2020
Founding Hipmunk
He leaves Reddit in 2009 and founds Hipmunk, an online travel company that ceases operations in 2020.
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2015
Returning as Reddit's CEO
Reddit hires him as CEO in July 2015, following the resignation of Ellen Pao.
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February–May 2024
Data deals with Google and OpenAI
He secures a Google deal worth about $60 million a year in February 2024. In May 2024 Reddit forges a partnership with OpenAI to bring its content to ChatGPT.
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2024–2025
Two TIME100 AI listings
TIME names him to its 100 most influential people in AI in September 2024. Its 2025 list places him among the Leaders.
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May 2026
Reddit as AI training data
In May 2026 he says LLMs would not exist as we know them without Reddit.
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As of October 2026
Reddit's cofounder and CEO
He is Reddit's cofounder and CEO, and in March 2026 he says there are so many reasons to hire new grads.
Sources and credits
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- Steve Huffman - Wikipedia
- Steve Huffman | Biography | Research Starters | EBSCOhost
- TIME100 AI 2024: Steve Huffman. | Biography | Time.com | EBSCOhost
- Reddit - Wikipedia
- Sam Altman, leader of OpenAI and one of Reddit's largest investors, is further aligning his interests with an alliance between the two | Fortune
- TIME100 AI 2025: Leaders, Innovators, Shapers, Thinkers
- Reddit CEO Says LLMs 'Would Not Exist' Without Reddit Data
- Billionaire Reddit CEO Steve Huffman says his company will ‘go heavy’ on hiring graduates because ‘they're so much more AI native’ than older peers | Fortune