Ohanian may have gained fame for co-founding Reddit, but recently people are recognizing him for a different kind of role – as Serena Williams’ husband. Without a doubt, this is an aspect of his life that he takes great pride in, judging from the grand romantic gestures he pulls off, all in the name of love.
How would it make you feel if your partner proclaimed that you are the best mother his daughter could ever ask for across several billboards on a busy highway? Such is the extent of Ohanian’s affection and admiration for his wife.
Additionally, he has no objection to prioritizing Serena’s career over his. In his own words, he admits that he has been successful in his career, but his wife is the true champion, and the trophies she has collected over time attest to this statement.
He added that it also helps the couple to be successful simultaneously in their respective fields and they apply the same drive, relentlessness, and understanding to their family and relationship. At the end of the day, he understands that Serena’s career may have to bypass his, at least for the time being.
Power Couple
Ohanian and Williams are no doubt a power couple. Being also the co-founder of Initialized Capital, Ohanian sold Reddit when he was 23 for a reported figure anywhere between $10 to $20 million. Currently, he is worth about $9 million. Serena, on the other hand, made a handsome $27 million last year, topping the highest paid female athletes list.
This dynamic where the wife makes more than the husband is not as uncommon as one would think. According to the U.S Census Bureau, the wife earns more than the husband in every one of four married couples. However, when it comes to tax filings for such couples, the Bureau discovered that the husbands tend to inflate their earnings by around 2.9% while the women breadwinners reduce theirs by close to 1.5%.
Ohanian, citing numerous research studies, claims that men are comfortable with their wives’ success so long as it does not interfere with theirs. Also, the ladies’ careers play second fiddle to that of their partners.
An Ego Issue
To Alexis, this is more of an ego issue for men when their women earn more than they do. It’s all too real, he said, as people have tweeted about how emasculating it can be to earn less than your wife, or to perform roles society deems feminine. Ohanian averred that if a man needs to make more than their wife to feel confident about themselves, then they are the problem in the relationship. He also added that even if he finally earns more, the confidence he gains is merely an illusion, and not a reality.
Ohanian now considers himself a blend of a full-time dad and a businessman. He has to spend all day with daughter Olympia when Serena has her day booked with intense workouts, photoshoot, and tennis practice. According to him, it helps that he is his own boss, and that affords him the luxury to bring his daughter to work, or working remotely when he’s attending his wife’s games.
