Steven Huffman, widely known by his online handle "spez," is the co-founder, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Reddit, Inc. Born on July 12, 1983, in Columbus, Ohio, Huffman demonstrated an early passion for computers and programming. He earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Virginia in 2005. That same year, while participating in Y Combinator's first demo day, Huffman co-founded Reddit with Alexis Ohanian, launching the platform in June 2005 as a simple website for sharing links and fostering online communities. Huffman's initial tenure as Reddit's first CEO lasted until late 2005, after which he served as Chief Technology Officer, spearheading product development and engineering amid the site's acquisition by Condé Nast Publications in 2006. He reclaimed the CEO role in November 2014, guiding Reddit through explosive growth, international expansion, and key innovations like enhanced mobile apps and advertising tools. Notable achievements under his leadership include navigating high-profile moderation challenges, forging partnerships with AI companies for data licensing, and steering the company to a landmark initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange in March 2024, valuing Reddit at over $6 billion. Today, as CEO and President, Huffman oversees Reddit's strategic vision, operations, and a global user base exceeding 500 million monthly active users. His deep technical expertise and commitment to authentic community-driven content have solidified Reddit's position as a cornerstone of the internet, continually evolving to balance free expression with platform sustainability.