Reddit protestors have decided to prolong their blackout indefinitely following Reddit CEO Steve Huffman’s internal memo to employees.
Last Monday, moderators began what was supposed to be a 48-hour blackout, with over 8,500 subreddits going private to protest the company’s updated AP pricing for third-party apps, among other new regulations.
On the same day, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman addressed the backlash towards the company in a memo, telling employees that there was a lot of “noise” surrounding the issue, and assuring them that the blackout would soon pass.
“The most important things we can do right now are stay focused, adapt to challenges, and keep moving forward […] I am sorry to say this, but please be mindful of wearing Reddit gear in public. Some folks are really upset, and we don’t want you to be the object of their frustrations,” he wrote.
Several subreddit moderators were not pleased with the CEO’s statement. According to Reddit user u/SpicyThunder335, the forum platform “has budged microscopically.”
“The announcement that moderator access to the 'Pushshift' data-archiving tool would be restored was welcome. But our core concerns still aren't satisfied, and these concessions came prior to the blackout start date; Reddit has been silent since it began,” the user wrote.
The user added that over 300 subreddits such as r/aww, r/music, r/videos, and more – with over 100 million members combined – have announced that they are in the blackout for the “long haul” until the company provides better solutions.