Dozens of popular Reddit communities have extended their blackout indefinitely, as a resolution remains elusive in a pricing dispute. The initial protest, intended to last for 48 hours, aimed to compel Reddit’s CEO to reconsider charges imposed on third-party app developers.
These charges have already resulted in the closure of the Apollo app, which can no longer afford access to Reddit’s API (Application Programming Interface). Apollo is among the various platforms through which Reddit members access the site. Multiple subreddits posted a message on Wednesday, decrying the situation: “Reddit is killing third-party applications (and itself).”
The continuation of the protest will have a significant impact on millions of Reddit users, as more than 300 subreddits have committed to staying dark. Among them are rmusic with 32 million subscribers, and rvideos with approximately 26 million members.
Unpaid volunteer moderators allege that Reddit administrators have been removing moderators who support the protest in order to coerce the subreddits into reopening. One moderator of r/gaming stated that their defiant stance was in response to Reddit CEO Steve Huffman’s dismissal of the protest, referring to it as “noise” in an internal memo to staff.
Despite more than 8,000 communities initially participating in the blackout on Monday, Huffman expressed confidence that the situation would eventually subside. “Please know that our teams are on it, and like all blowups on Reddit, this one will pass as well,” he wrote, as reported by The Verge.
Huffman emphasized the need to deliver on promised improvements to the platform, acknowledging that enhancing their product is the long-term solution. In the short term, he mentioned critical mod tool launches that require precision and attention.
Key Points:
• Reddit communities have extended their blackout indefinitely due to an unresolved pricing dispute.
• The blackout aims to pressure Reddit’s CEO into reevaluating charges on third-party app developers.
• The closure of the Apollo app highlights the impact of these charges on Reddit’s ecosystem.
• More than 300 subreddits, including rmusic and rvideos, have committed to the ongoing protest.
• Unpaid volunteer moderators claim that Reddit administrators are removing supportive moderators to force subreddits to reopen.
• Reddit CEO Steve Huffman referred to the protest as “noise” in an internal memo to staff.
• Huffman stressed the importance of delivering on promised improvements and upcoming critical mod tool launches.