Reddit will require all users to log in to view content, beginning tests outside the US. CEO Steve Huffman announced the shift in a shareholder letter, citing a significant decline in search traffic. The change aims to retain new audiences and protect Reddit's valuable data corpus from AI scraping.
Huffman emphasized that moving to a primarily logged-in experience ensures users find the most relevant content and communities. This dramatic shift comes as Reddit battles AI scraping and changes to internet search. It follows user frustration with recent platform changes, including restrictions on Old Reddit.
Huffman stated the change is necessary for business, providing more signals for ad targeting and higher engagement. It also helps the company adapt to emerging regulations worldwide. During the third-quarter earnings call, Huffman noted the company is still determining when logged-out users will face a hard prompt to log in, whether coming from search or shared links.
He described it as finding the right boundary. Huffman was explicit in his criticism of AI search modes, stating they do not drive traffic like traditional search used to. The company reported search referrals dropped by over 1 million per week in October.
Reddit's relationship with Google remains complicated, featuring a $60 million annual licensing deal for AI training data. Huffman indicated active discussions about reconsidering the arrangement, stressing it must be a fair exchange of value. To grow engagement, Reddit is working on adding more organization to its main feed and considering an incognito mode to address users who frequently uninstall and reinstall the app.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing