Reddit plans to require users to log in to fully access the site, as it battles AI scraping and a sharp drop in search traffic. CEO Steve Huffman announced the shift to a primarily logged-in experience during the company's third-quarter earnings call, according to Engadget and TechCrunch.
The change will be tested first in select markets outside the United States during the fourth quarter, per Techmeme and Axios. Reddit has not set a timeline for a worldwide rollout, and it says some version of the site will remain accessible before users hit a hard login prompt.
Why Reddit is making this change
Reddit says AI-powered search is cutting into the traffic it once got from Google. Huffman said AI mode "does not drive traffic, not for us and not to anybody," calling it a fundamental shift in how Google works, per Engadget. The company reported that search referrals fell by more than 1 million per week on average in October and warned daily active users could drop by a low-double-digit percentage by next quarter.
A login requirement would also help Reddit protect its data from AI scrapers and negotiate licensing deals with model providers. Huffman said any deal must "advance our long-term strategy" and be "a fair exchange of value," and confirmed there are "active discussions" about the company's existing arrangement with Google, reportedly worth about $60 million a year.
- Global daily active users: 130.3 million in Q3, flat quarter-over-quarter
- US daily active users: down from 53.2 million in Q2 to 50.7 million in Q3, a 2% year-over-year decline
- Search referrals: down by more than 1 million per week on average in October
