During Reddit’s second earnings call as a public company, CEO Steve Huffman hinted at potential significant changes coming to the platform. Huffman announced plans to test AI-powered search results later in the year, aiming to summarize and recommend content to users in order to enhance their experience and facilitate exploration of products, shows, games, and communities on Reddit. Huffman emphasized the importance of updating the platform’s search function, which has remained unchanged for a long time, to attract new users and potentially generate advertising revenue. Additionally, Huffman alluded to the possibility of exploring alternative revenue streams, such as paywalled subreddits for exclusive content, while maintaining the existing free version of Reddit. The company has been proactive in safeguarding its content through licensing deals and taking action against search engines that do not adhere to transparency standards. Huffman highlighted the importance of transparency in the use of Reddit’s data and content to protect user privacy and ensure ethical engagement with the platform.
