TechCrunch Summary (2023-06-16 04AM)

Source: Reddit CEO lashes out on protests, moderators and third-party apps

Summary
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman defended the company’s decision to charge third-party apps after backlash, although protests have caused thousands of subreddits to go dark. A policy change earlier in June revealed the social media platform would charge $20m a year to access its API, which has led to many apps shutting down. In interviews, Huffman discussed profitability and changing site rules while showing reluctance to budge on the API changes.

Fact

💻 Reddit announced it would charge for its API in April, with pricing estimated to cost third-party apps up to $20m a year, leading to the closure of apps such as Apollo, Reddit is Fun, and Relay for Reddit.

👥 Huffman called protesting moderators “landed gentry”, and plans to make changes to moderator policies that will allow users to vote them out. Reddit has stated its respect for protests, but rules indicate the company can revoke moderator status if they are uncooperative.

💰 Huffman stated Reddit would not invest in paid moderators or centralise power around decisions. A study published last year estimated unpaid moderators spend around 466 hours a day maintaining Reddit’s communities.

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