Reddit CEO Plans Rule Changes to Oust Protest Organizers
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman criticizes volunteer moderators leading a massive site blackout, comparing them to a "landed gentry" and proposing new voting rules to remove them.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman speaks out against the massive user protest that currently darkens large portions of the popular website. He tells NBC News that the ongoing blackout, which makes thousands of community boards inaccessible, lacks widespread support and is driven by a minority of unpaid moderators.
The volunteer organizers shut down their subreddits to oppose upcoming API changes that will likely block third-party apps. In response, Huffman criticizes the current moderator system, comparing these long-tenured volunteers to a "landed gentry" who hold onto power indefinitely without accountability.
To break the protest, Huffman proposes changing the site's rules to make it easier for everyday users to vote out unpopular moderators. He argues that this new system creates a more democratic platform where community leaders answer directly to their constituents rather than simply claiming territory first.