Inspired by Serena, Ohanian touts paid parental leave

Alexis Ohanian made a promise to the "little poppy seed" he made with Serena Williams, and he's keeping it.

Catalyzed to change by his now-wife's difficult childbirth that involved a cesarian section and maternal health complications, the Reddit co-founder recently announced,as written in *Fortune*, that he would step down from day-to-day operations work at the company.

While he will remain on the Reddit board of directors and still has another venture capital startup to run, his inspiration remains his commitment to Serena and to baby Alexis, who he affectionally dubs "Junior."

Ohanian recently sat courtside with Junior for Serena's return to competitive action for Fed Cup. She stole the show.

In announcing his leap on the website of Initialized, that VC firm he co-captains, Ohanian wrote, "As a new father of a five-month-old little girl, I want to make sure the world she inherits is as great as possible."

Ohanian's move has cast a spotlight on paternity leave in the workplace. Reddit's 16 weeks of paid leave for new fathers is all but unrivaled in the professional world. By comparison, eight weeks – offered by the federal government and more large employers – is considered generous and in line with gender parity guidelines set out by advocacy groups.

The 34-year-old Ohanian said that he understands the complexities of professional leave for others, including people of color who are company founders and employees. He noted that locating those who are "adamant about solving a problem" is key, and that his own first step is to embark on the time away from work and tending to matters at home. Said Ohanian, "I need to make the world better for my little person."

Follow Jon on Twitter @jonscott9.

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