Reddit usage metrics fall thanks to CEO's plan to boost revenue

demvoter@kbin.social to Technology@kbin.social – 195 points – Reddit usage metrics fall thanks to CEO's plan to boost revenue
9to5mac.com

While CEO Steve Huffman may be dismissive of the thousands of subreddits going dark to protest his planned API changes,...

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But as more than one arrogant CEO has discovered, when you kick your users in the teeth, the effects can be rather longer-lasting than you might have hoped. Huffman has not only done this, but done the same to moderators and third-party app developers, both of whom have played a significant role in driving Reddit’s popularity.

Aye, these journalists aren’t pulling their punches!

I love it !

I posit that it is, in part, because of Reddit's self-selected role as "the front page of the internet". Journalists and bloggers have a vested interest in what happens to reddit, and the drama surrounding third-party apps, as it likely drives a not-insignificant portion of their own traffic. I've seen articles from all sides of the political spectrum lambasting Huffman's fuck-ups, as (on the negative side) the planned changes likely reduce the amount of click-throughs they might expect to their content, and/or (on the positive side) the drama drives click-throughs to their articles from impassioned redditors, would-be social media developers, and anyone with an interest in the history/sociology/economy of the social web.