Leaders.com
  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Wealth
  • Master Classes
  • Business
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Executives
    • Marketing and Sales
    • Social Media
    • Innovation
    • Women in Business
  • Leadership
    • Personal Growth
    • Company Culture
    • Public Speaking
    • Productivity
    • Hiring
    • Social Issues
    • Leaders
  • Wealth
    • Investing
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Retirement
    • Venture Capital
    • Loans and Borrowing
    • Taxes
    • Markets
    • Real Estate
  • Master Classes
Social Media reddit goes dark

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has defended the company's changes to its API policies, but moderators and Redditors have responded by shutting down over 7,000 subreddits for two days. (Photo by Horacio Villalobos - Corbis/Getty Images)

By Hannah Bryan Leaders Staff

Hannah Bryan

News Writer

Hannah Bryan is a news writer for Leaders Media. Most recently she was a reporter for the Sanilac County News...

Full bio


Learn about our editorial policy

Jun 13, 2023

Subreddits Fight Reddit About New Policies

Thousands of subreddits have gone dark in protest against recent changes to how much Reddit charges third-party providers. 

Key Details

  • In response to Reddit’s decision to charge for access to its application program interfaces (API), around 7,000 subreddits have closed for at least two days. 
  • APIs allow computer programs to use one other’s capabilities, or give two programs the means to communicate with one another.
  • Reddit’s new policy of charging for its API has been controversial, but the company CEO Steve Huffman says the move is necessary for Reddit to survive due to competition with generative artificial-intelligence (AI) applications.
  • As a result of these policy changes, several third-party apps have shut down, but Huffman does not appear to be bending to redditors’ demands any time soon, Forbes reports. 
  • The controversy could affect Reddit’s long-awaited IPO, which is expected to be later this year.

Why it’s news

Reddit charging for API is a significant change from its previous policies. In 2016, the company launched free API, but now, it wants to start charging third-party developers up to 24 cents for every 1,000 API calls beginning July 1. The change was announced in April, and third-party developers have argued against it ever since. 

Reddit claims that 90% of third-party apps will not be affected, but larger third-party apps will have to pay a hefty fee—sometimes millions of dollars. The app Apollo, a popular app for Reddit moderators, says it will lose $20 million a year based on the new price point, Forbes reports.

In response to these higher prices, third-party apps, including Apollo, RIF, REddPlanet, and Sync, have announced that they will shut down on June 30 as they cannot continue to operate with the new prices. 

Reddit moderators have responded to the news by temporarily shutting down their subreddits. Over 7,000 subreddits have “gone dark” for 48 hours in protest. Some have stated that they will be closed indefinitely until Reddit can come up with a better solution. Several prominent subreddits, such as r/stocks and r/science, are part of the protest. 

While Reddit has received strong pushback for its decision, Huffman has reasons for making the controversial decision. Generative AI needs data and information for training purposes, and Reddit has a significant resource of information that is excellent for AI training—especially when understanding humanity. 

Recognizing how valuable that data can be, Huffman is looking to capitalize on any potential revenue. In a New York Times interview earlier this year, he said, “Reddit corpus of data is really valuable,” and he does not “need to give all of that value to some of the largest companies in the world for free.”

In an “ask me anything” (AMA) event last week, Huffman told angry Redditors, “Reddit needs to be a self-sustaining business and to do that, we can no longer subsidize commercial entities that require large-scale data use.”

In the same event, he confirmed that there were no plans to change the API charges.

Elon Musk made a similar decision after buying Twitter last year. One of his first decisions was to charge for access to its API. This move was also met with backlash. The changes meant up to $42,000 in monthly fees for some of the largest companies on Twitter.

Twitter now has three paid tiers for developers who need to access Twitter’s API. The start-up level costs around $5,000 monthly. Reddit may be able to establish a similar system.

Home / News / Subreddits Fight Reddit About New Policies
Share
FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn

Related Stories

Seattle Takes The Crown For Advanced Tech Talent

by PJ Howland Leaders Staff
Tech

Oct 24, 2023

Seattle tech talent

Seattle has emerged as the metro area with the most advanced tech talent, beating out tech hubs like San Francisco and Silicon Valley.

Key Details

  • According to a new ranking by the Burning Glass Institute, Seattle has the highest proportion of advanced tech workers compared to other cities with similarly sized tech workforces.
  • The ranking evaluated 60 million high-paying, in-demand tech job postings and histories to identify cities with cutting-edge roles like AI and cybersecurity rather than legacy tech positions.
  • With tech giants Amazon and Microsoft headquartered in Seattle, the city edged out the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Austin, and Raleigh on the list.
  • The report found that demand for software developers and IT support specialists has declined over the past five years as companies seek more specialized tech talent.

Go deeper

FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn

More Americans Can’t Keep Up With Car Payments

by Colin Baker Leaders Staff
Loans and Borrowing

Oct 23, 2023

car loans, used cars

A record number of Americans are behind on their car loan payments as higher interest rates and prices weigh on consumers.

Key Details

  • According to data from Fitch Ratings, 6.11% of car loans were at least 60 days delinquent in September, the highest since tracking began in the early 2000s.
  • Some interest rates on used cars can rise to as much as 21%, according to Bankrate.
  • Soaring prices and rising interest rates are squeezing consumers, making it difficult for some to keep up with their auto loans.

Go deeper

FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn

Chevron Makes $53 Billion Deal Amid Surging Gas Prices

by PJ Howland Leaders Staff
Markets

Oct 23, 2023

Chevron Gas Deal

Chevron is acquiring Hess Corp. for $53 billion, the second significant oil producer acquisition this month as crude prices climb.

Key Details

  • Chevron is purchasing Hess in an all-cash deal worth $53 billion, including debt and preferred stock redemption.
  • This comes just weeks after ExxonMobil announced its $59.5 billion purchase of Pioneer Natural Resources.
  • With oil over $80 per barrel, major producers are using their windfall profits to acquire smaller players and boost payouts to shareholders.
  • Chevron expects the deal to close in H1 2023 pending regulatory approvals and Hess shareholder vote.
  • Hess CEO John Hess will join Chevron's board once the acquisition is complete.

Go deeper

FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn
nike logo
Company Culture

Oct 20, 2023

Nike to Require More In-Office Days From Employees

by Colin Baker Leaders Staff
blue collar workers
Retirement

Oct 20, 2023

Explaining The ‘C+ Grade’ Retirement Ecosystem in The United States

by PJ Howland Leaders Staff
netflix building
Entertainment

Oct 19, 2023

Netflix Hiking Prices While Adding Millions of Subscribers

by Colin Baker Leaders Staff

Recent Articles

Hiring

Nov 1, 2023

Learn the Winning Answers to the Most Common Phone Interview Questions

Come to your next phone interview fully prepared

Personal Growth

Oct 30, 2023

85 Quotes on Self-Love to Boost Your Self-Esteem

Don’t fall into the trap of harsh self-criticism

Company Culture

Oct 27, 2023

What is a Sabbatical? Your Ticket to Restful Growth and Meaning

Sabbaticals can benefits both employees and businesses

  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Wealth
Join the Leaders Community

Get exclusive tools and resources you need to grow as a leader and scale a purpose-driven business.

Subscribing indicates your consent to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy

Leaders.com
  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Careers
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Member Login

© 2025 Leaders.com - All rights reserved.

Search Leaders.com