Reddit CEO Warns Google's AI Mode Drives No Traffic to the Open Web
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said the company lost over one million Google search referrals per week in October, and blamed Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode for sending zero traffic to external sites. Reddit's stock fell more than 25 percent despite strong earnings. The company is now testing login barriers and positioning itself as a direct destination rather than relying on the open web. Huffman warned the shift threatens every content-driven business dependent on search traffic.
AI Brief
It gives readers a concrete, quantified signal that AI search features are draining referral traffic from the open web, a structural shift affecting all content businesses.
Reddit lost over one million Google search referrals per week in October, CEO Steve Huffman said. The stock dropped more than 25 percent despite strong earnings. Huffman blames Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode for driving zero traffic to external sites. Reddit now tests login barriers and wants to become a direct destination, less reliant on the open web. The shift threatens every content-driven business that depends on search traffic.
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