Huffman said the ongoing protest against its API policy is becoming less representative of the communities on Reddit, adding that more “democracy” was needed.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman slammed subreddit moderators who continued to push back against the company’s plan to charge for access to its API, a change that would shutter beloved third-party Reddit apps like Apollo, calling them “landed gentry” and saying they weren’t considering the desires of their communities.
After nearly a week of chaos marked by a moderator-led blackout, which made subreddits private and barred the public from accessing them, Huffman went on a media blitz on Thursday and spoke to various outlets, including NBC, NPR, and The Verge, about the unrest on his social media platform. (Unfortunately, Gizmodo was not one of the chosen few, but our digital door is always open!)
Besides standing his ground and reiterating that the company would not budge on its plans to charge for use of its API, the Reddit CEO had harsh words for the thousands of moderators who had led the week’s protest.
In an interview with NBC, Huffman compared Reddit moderators—who dedicate hundreds of hours, if not more, of unpaid work to their communities—to the “landed gentry,” or wealthy people who own land.
“If you’re a politician or a business owner, you are accountable to your constituents.
