Reddit CEO admits Google's AI Mode is throttling its search traffic
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| Source: HN | Original article
Reddit CEO says Google's AI-powered search mode is cutting off the platform's search traffic.
Reddit’s chief executive, Steve Huffman, told investors that Google’s AI‑powered “AI Mode” and AI Overviews are effectively cutting off the platform’s search‑driven traffic. In the earnings call, Huffman said the new AI‑driven search experience “does not drive traffic for anybody,” and pointed to a loss of more than one million Google search referrals each week in October. The decline coincided with a sharp fall in Reddit’s share price, which slipped more than 25 percent despite the company posting solid earnings.
The comments underscore a growing tension between traditional web referrals and AI‑generated answers that keep users within the search engine’s own interface. For Reddit, a site that has long relied on organic search to funnel users to its communities, the shift threatens a key source of page‑views and ad revenue. Huffman’s remarks also signal a strategic pivot: Reddit is testing a login‑first experience for most content, aiming to turn the platform into a “direct destination” rather than a passive endpoint for search traffic.
What to watch next is whether Google will adjust its AI Mode to include more outbound links or whether the tech giant will double down on keeping answers in‑house. Equally important is how Reddit’s login barrier experiment performs – if it succeeds in retaining users, other content‑heavy sites may follow suit, accelerating a broader move away from open‑web referral models. The episode highlights the wider industry debate about the role of AI in search and its ripple effects on the ecosystem of publishers that depend on Google’s traffic.
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