Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., the 2-year-old daughter of tennis great Serena Williams and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian Sr., already has a bright future and her father has high hopes for her.
In a recent interview with CNN, Alexis Ohanian Sr. spoke about how he’d love for Olympia to follow in her parents’ footsteps in the future. “I would love for her to be a CEO and a startup founder. I would love for her to be a professional athlete,” says Ohanian Sr. Since Olympia’s mother is one of the greatest tennis players of all-time and her father is a leading figure in the tech world, she’ll have the best guidance anyone could ask for whichever path she chooses.
“I think the best advantage Olympia will have is that no matter what, she’s gonna get honest and very real advice from someone who knows what it takes to be the absolute best,” said Ohanian Sr. on Olympia perhaps becoming a professional athlete. “So if she wants to do it, you know, God bless and I support her. But I will be teaching her how to code, so she’ll have that option too.”
Being married to a Black female icon like Serena Williams and having a Black daughter, Alexis Ohanian Sr. also discussed how he plays his part in fighting against racism. “I’ve had a front-row seat to exactly how different it is and how much she’s toiled not only as a woman but as a Black woman,” he said. “Olympia is not going to question everything Serena has done to make this world better for Olympia. I want to sit at that dinner table when Olympia’s a little older and feel like I’ve done my part, too.”
To that end, Alexis Ohanian Sr. resigned from Reddit’s Board of Directors in June. He cited Olympia as his reason, saying that “as a father” he “needs to be able to answer his Black daughter when she asks: What did you do?” Ohanian Sr. urged Reddit’s Board to replace him with a Black candidate, which they honored by appointing Michael Seibel. Ohanian Sr. also donated $1 million to former NFL quarterback and Civil Rights activist Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp.
In 2019, Forbes estimated Alexis Ohanian Sr.’s net worth at $70 million, but he isn’t the breadwinner of his family, since Serena’s net worth is about $200 million as of 2020. To add, Ohanian Sr. now is known more for being Serena’s husband than creating Reddit, and he has absolutely no problem with that. “Ten years ago, I would get stopped for being ‘the Reddit guy’ and that made me feel nice,” says Ohanian Sr. “But then, a few years ago, people just started shouting at me, ‘Alexis, I love your wife!’ And, you know, obviously, that’s a great feeling, too.”
