I mean there’s Reddit ofc, as well as Twitter in its entirety, Discord is implementing some dumb updates, there are issues with Tumblr as well as everything to do with Meta, and I’m sure there are plenty more (and I haven’t even touched other digital media, for example the Sims). Why is it all happening in the span of about a couple months?
The main sticking point is profitability. Not many platforms have managed to create a business model that’s sustainably profitable. Reddit certainly hasn’t. Now they’re basically looking for a way to cash out so they’re prioritising short term profitability over everything.
Honestly if reddit had come, cap in hand, and says “Hey what can we do to be awesome so you’ll buy premium”
And then listened to our advice? I’d have bought premium to help em out.
Instead, they are acting genuinely insane. Like back when my brother was on cocaine and Adderall and would try to hit me up for money.
Reddit can die.
Yeah, totally agree with you. No one is mad Reddit wants to be sustainable. We’re mad that Spez is being an absolute dick about it. And in fact, none of this is about charging for the API, it’s about making it cost prohibitive for AI training and killing 3rd party apps so users are funneled into the official app’s ads. If Reddit worked with 3rd party apps with reasonable industry pricing no one would have cared. All the BS Spez has been spouting for the news is straight up lying.
It’s the same unforced error all these narcissistic CEOs seem to make, but it’s even more profound on Reddit because Reddit had a fairly unique amount of trust from its community. All it would have taken is some humility and honesty and entire subreddits would have popped up to support it. Instead, we get Spez’s bullshit that hit the trust and love of the community like a nuke. So I say fuck 'em, the entire site is tainted now imo. It will not get better. It will fester and the whole thing will rot.
But realistically, this man gives zero fucks that he just killed Reddit. Spez will get his IPO and cash out before any of the rot happens. They always do. That’s whats so infuriating. Hopefully the Fediverse at large can do better since it is designed to never have one egomaniac who controls the whole thing.
The issue is the mindset of profitability.
For a platform like reddit, the mindset for sustainability must be based on efficiency and utility, not profitability.
These platforms are called platforms rather than websites or simply “companies” for a reason. They act like a public utility rather than a for profit service of convenience. Public utilities also suck ass when operated as for profit businesses.
Is it though? Or is it that they need to satiate the VC backers? Could a platform keep going if it was content to pay it’s employees and have some amount of reinvestment money and just exist without the need for infinite growth?
They’re just trying to survive until they IPO. Then they can cash out and who gives a fuck about reddit after that.