HappySquid via Twitter

Will the Reddit news never cease? As the petition to ask CEO Ellen Pao to step down passes 200,000 signatures, the woman whose dismissal started the ruckus known as #TheDarkening or #RedditRevolt has returned to Reddit, if only to say farewell.

How was your weekend? Mine was…interesting, to say the least.

I’ve had some time to think about how to respond to the extraordinary kindness and support you’ve shown me. And here it is:

I’ll never forget my time at reddit. You allowed me to be a part of some of the greatest conversations of our time, and it was an honor to be your ambassador.

I just want to take a moment to say thank you to all of you who have reached out.

Thank you for everything you’ve given me. From your messages to your artwork, I am deeply moved and grateful beyond words, and your encouragement has meant more than you’ll ever know.

I’ve been incredibly humbled and honored to serve this community, and I truly believe all voices matter.

Your voices matter.

You proved that this weekend.

And really, this weekend wasn’t about me. It was about you. And if I know one thing about this community, it’s that you’ll continue making your voices heard. And that’s an inspiration.

I know many of you may be curious about what’s next for me, and I’m still figuring that out. However, I can assure you, wherever the road leads, I will live up to the faith you’ve had in me.

You can take the woman out of reddit, but you can’t take the reddit out of the woman. I believe in you. And that’s a promise.

Thank you.

Posted just a few moments ago, her note threatens to break the stats system, having received 107 comments in ten minutes. SpaghettiSuitcase put it best, saying “The queen is all class. I’m pretty confident she will be able to get any job that comes her way. An employer could just google her name and nothing but positive comments about her will be read.” It may be the first and only troll-free Reddit comment thread.

We’re not sure where Taylor will end up, but we are certain her street value as a potential employee has been radically revised upward, thanks to the accolades of both colleagues and redditors. You can follow her further adventures on Twitter at Happysquid.

Although perhaps a change of avatars is in order.

Categories: Breaking, Communication, Hacktivism, Media, News, Reddit, The Darkening