Time November 2/November 9, 2020A BETTER
TECH
FUTURE
The Duke and Duchess
of Sussex speak to
critics of social media
about creating a more
positive online world
THE GREAT RESET
To watch the
complete
conversations,
go to time.com/
sussex-talksOn OcT. 20, The Duke anD Duchess Of sussex
hosted an episode of TIME100 Talks focusing on social
media and our online lives. They spoke with Reddit co-
founder Alexis Ohanian; Tristan Harris, president of the
Center for Humane Technology; and UCLA professor Safiya
U. Noble, among others. Below are edited and condensed excerpts
from their conversations.the Duchess of sussex: You decided to step back from your
board seat at Reddit and instead ask they give that seat to a per-
son of color and specifcally someone who is Black. I think, you
know, that resonated with people in a huge way, especially be-
cause you said you were doing it because you were inspired by
your daughter, Olympia.
ohanian: When I looked at the positions that I occupied, especially
one, Reddit is a multibillion- dollar company, has a lot of influence on
the world, especially in the United States. And I thought about the role
that it plays and the role that all social-media companies play in our
society and the world that it’s shaping for everyone, including people
like my daughter, like my wife. I knew that I had a responsibility to be
able to answer her when she asked me in 10 years when she’s a snarky
teenager, you know, what I did to help be a part of making things bet-
ter for her. And I’m happy to see that since, you know, that resignation
protest, Reddit started making a lot of changes to improve the content,
you know, banning a ton of communities really built around hate and
started to enforce more seriously a lot of these policies.the Duchess of sussex: What do you think that we’re losing in
a broader sense when we don’t have that level of representation,
not just in the companies themselves but in what the content is
and how it’s being shared?
ohanian: If we look at the platforms and specifically in technol-
ogy and in social media that have shaped so much of how we live,how we work, how we play, how we
get informed, everything, you know,
you look at all of us who created those
platforms, and there is a common
thread among all of us.
We all look the same. We all had
very similar education experiences
and backgrounds. And the way that
has now played out and manifested
15 years later is the culmination of,
frankly, a lot of blind spots. And I say
this, you know, knowing that there’s
a generation of CEOs who I meet now
who are sort of the version of me but,
you know, 15 years later, fresh out of
college, starting something that they
know one day will be, or really truly
believe will be, a world- changing-