Reddit's cofounder took out ads in a nearly empty Times Square urging people to stay home
Times Square sees nearly 380,000 tourists on a typical day, with as many as 450,000 on a busy day.
On March 14, as COVID-19 spreads in New York, Times Square was much less crowded than usual.
Some people were still out to see Ohanian's billboard, though, which he bought through startup AdQuick.
His signs urged people to stay home and "flatten the curve" by not spreading the virus and overwhelming the medical system.
Source: Business Insider
"It was a deliberate approach to think what is one of the densest populations of people in the U.S. and on a normal day that would be Times Square," Ohanian told Forbes.
Source: Forbes
He also said he considered other phrases, including "Why are you even looking at this?" and "Why are you even in Times Square right now?".
Ohanian's VC firm, Initialized Capital, closed its office last week and will allow employees to work remotely for at least the next six to eight weeks.
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