Reddit tyrant-in-chief finds more fuel for the dumpster fire with threat to replace moderators

Zac Hall | Jun 16 2023 - 9:57 am PT

“Anyone else feel like it’s getting hot in here?” That’s what Reddit CEO Steve Huffman would ask if he was remotely aware of the dumpster fire that he continues to fuel around the community he helped build. Instead, the former cofounder and current tyrant has a new plan of attack: Cross him and you’re fired… from moderating… for free… for years.

This week we saw enough subreddits go dark that the entire site actually went offline as a result. That’s because community moderators are deeply dissatisfied with the direction Huffman is taking the company. This stems from an abrupt plan to charge third-party app developers for access to the Reddit API in such a way that virtually all Reddit clients have no choice but to shut down.

Of course, Reddit is a private company that hopes to go public, but it’s the public remarks from Huffman that makes this all so much more bitter. The Verge has the latest memo from Huffman today:

We are also aware that some members of your mod team have expressed that they want to close your community indefinitely. We are reaching out to find out if this is the consensus reached by the mod team. […]

If there are mods here who are willing to work towards reopening this community, we are willing to work with you to process a Top Mod Removal request or reorder the mod team to achieve this goal if mods higher up the list are hindering reopening. We would handle this request and any retaliation attempts here in this modmail chain immediately.

Our goal is to work with the existing mod team to find a path forward and make sure your subreddit is made available for the community which makes its home here. If you are not able or willing to reopen and maintain the community, please let us know.

Basically, fall in line or fall off the platform. Huffman insists that none of the “noise” matters anyway, but no one can keep their hands over their ears forever. In the meantime, the cofounder appears dedicated to digging his heels in the ground, regardless of what smart people around him are saying.

Jeez, you’d think this guy was some venture capital-chosen CEO brought in from the outside world of Reddit culture and not one of the original company founders from 17 years ago.