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Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian kept the name despite criticism over its ‘read it’ pun
Alexis Ohanian revisited how he chose Reddit’s name, saying he had anticipated its connection to the phrase ‘read it’.
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Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has revisited the story behind the platform’s name, revealing that it was not an immediate hit with everyone. His post on X came after Reddit shared a joke that brought fresh attention to the name.
Alexis Ohanian recalls naming Reddit
Ohanian took to X to share how he insisted on keeping the name Reddit more than two decades ago, even when others were not convinced by it.
“21 years ago I named ‘Reddit’ and everyone said it was a horrible name, but I insisted one day people would say ‘I read it on reddit’ and used my CEO-privilege to overrule everyone + kept the name. Now the company twitter account (unbeknownst to them) is making the joke. Heh,” he wrote.
He was responding to a post shared by Reddit’s official account, which read, “I'd tell you a joke, but you've probably already Reddit.”
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The joke plays on the similarity between “Reddit” and “read it”, suggesting that someone may already have come across the joke on the platform. Ohanian’s response revealed that the wordplay was part of his thinking when he chose the name.
Reddit, founded in 2005 by Ohanian and Steve Huffman, has since grown into a major online platform where users discuss news, hobbies, entertainment and everyday experiences through communities known as subreddits.
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Internet reacts with more Reddit puns
Ohanian’s post drew a mix of surprise, humour and questions from users. Some admitted they had never noticed the connection between the platform’s name and the phrase “read it”.
“I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve used the word ‘reddit’ a million times but never connected it with the ‘read it’ meaning,” one user wrote.
Another user questioned the origin of the name, commenting, “I thought @paulg came up with the name @alexisohanian?”
Others joined in by suggesting more wordplay based on Reddit’s name and features. One user wrote, “Deleting a post should be ‘shreddit’. Coins should be ‘creddits’. There’s probably more. Geddit?”
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Another joked that the platform should be called an “echo chamber”, while one described the exchange as “the longest setup for a pun in tech history”.
One user also admitted to having missed the double meaning, while another wrote, “People are going to come up with more ridiculous puns and I dreadditt.”
The post turned an old story about Reddit’s name into a new round of jokes and puns online.
