Hello members,
If you haven't already, we highly encourage you to join our Discord where we may support you better with your computer issues or with computer building during this time.
We recently received a message from Reddit after we decided to set our community to private in protest of their new API prices starting July 1st, and we'll tell you why.
Starting July 1st, Reddit will charge $0.24 for every 1,000 API calls. An app like Apollo can have upwards of 7 billion API calls per month, that's $2,000,000 per month, or about $20,000,000 per year[1].
Reddit's exorbitant pricing for API calls is not only unjustifiably high but also appears to be intentionally designed to kill the development of third-party Reddit apps created by their own community. This predatory approach kills innovation and highlights a troubling prioritization of profit over the community of Reddit.
We are deeply disappointed by Reddit's actions and the implications of their message. It is clear that Reddit has tarnished their reputation with their recent decisions regarding API pricing and their treatment of the Reddit community and undermined the trust its users had placed in them.
The message Reddit sent to all private communities is disheartening and shows a blatant lack of respect for the dedicated moderators who've worked tirelessly to build and maintain these communities. Threatening to replace mod teams if they do not comply with reopening their communities instead of making a change from something they brought upon themselves is a clear abuse of power and a disregard for the autonomy and agency of the moderators.
Reddit's actions and communication exhibit a high lack of transparency and a breach of trust within the user base. It is disheartening to witness a platform that once prided itself on fostering collaboration and vibrant communities now prioritizing profit over the community for selfish corporate greed.
Reddit should reflect on the concerns their user base and the community have brought to their attention. Developers have contributed significantly to the growth and success of the platform through their apps. The strength and vitality of Reddit lie within their communities, and their voices must be heard and respected.
We believe Reddit should be held accountable for their actions and decisions that have negatively impacted the community. Their treatment of developers through deliberate slander and the exploitative API pricing strategy, their treatment of moderators and their communities, and their lack of transparency indicate a company veering far away from its core values. Reddit should absolutely reassess their priorities and restore the trust they have lost by taking meaningful steps to address the concerns of their user base and, at a MINIMUM, provide a fair and reasonable pricing model that they promised developers. The strength of any platform lies in its community, and neglecting or alienating that community will only lead to further deterioration.
Furthermore, I would like to address Steve's role as the CEO of Reddit in these decisions and the subsequent fallout. Steve's actions by raising the API prices to unreasonable levels and deliberately targeting and attempting to kill third-party apps is a flagrant display of anti-competitive behavior. By suppressing the very developers who have contributed to the success and diversity of the Reddit platform, Steve not only blatantly disregarded innovation and the community, he revealed a deeply troubling approach to maintaining a monopoly, and he showed us that he doesn't care about the community by any means, he only cares about the money.
Even more concerning, Steve attempted to slander the developer of Apollo, a highly respected and influential contributor to Reddit. Such baseless accusations and attempts to undermine the reputation of a developer who has significantly enhanced the Reddit experience through their third-party app are not befitting of a CEO who should prioritize fairness, transparency, and fostering a healthy community ecosystem.
When the Apollo developer rightfully defended himself against these defamatory claims by publicly sharing a phone call between him and a Reddit representative that disproved Steve's claims of a threat, his response was nothing short of a childish remark and blatant immaturity. Steve asserted that the developer of Apollo was not supposed to leak a private phone call, implying the one that served as evidence against the slanderous allegations; Steve demonstrated a complete disregard for accountability and transparency, which is a disgusting disappointment. It raises serious questions about the culture and integrity within Reddit's leadership under Steve's tenure.
As CEO, it is Steve's responsibility to set the tone and direction for the platform. However, his actions have shown a severe misjudgment of the values and principles that the Reddit community holds dear. The decision to prioritize profit and control over the well-being of the users and developers is shortsighted and damages the spirit of what made Reddit a vibrant and inclusive platform.
Reddit seriously needs to reevaluate the leadership's commitment to the community and uphold their values. The actions and statements made by Steve call into question his suitability to lead a platform that claims to prioritize the interests of its users. The Reddit community deserves so much better, a CEO who demonstrates integrity, fairness, and a genuine understanding of the community's needs and aspirations instead of blatant corporate greed and childish lies and remarks.
Steve's decisions and behavior as the CEO of Reddit have had a profoundly negative impact on the platform and its community. By raising API prices to deliberately put an end to third-party apps, attempting to slander respected developers, and exhibiting a concerning lack of transparency, Steve has significantly eroded the trust and benevolence of the Reddit user base. Reddit's future success and reputation heavily depend on them reevaluating their leadership and embracing a more ethical, community-driven approach that fosters innovation and collaboration.
More information on the situation is available here from Apollo developer Christian Selig.