Reddit CEO: We're Sticking With API Changes, Despite Subreddits Going Dark

pcmag.com:

Despite facing protests from users, Reddit’s CEO is refusing to back down on charging for access to the social media platform’s API, even though it’ll shut down some third-party apps. 

According to Reddit’s chief executive Steve Huffman, it’s become too costly to keep the API access free when the platform itself is struggling to make ends meet. “Reddit needs to be a self-sustaining business, and to do that, we can no longer subsidize commercial entities that require large-scale data use,” he said in a post(Opens in a new window) on Friday. 

Huffman made the statement when a growing number of Reddit communities plan to go dark on June 12 to protest the company’s decision to charge access to the API. This includes asking for $0.24 per 1,000 API calls.  

The new pricing structure has caused third-party Reddit client Apollo to announce it’s shutting down on June 30 because it would cost $20 million a year to run the app under the API change. In response, Reddit’s CEO held an Ask Me Anything(Opens in a new window) on Friday to defend the coming API change, which will take effect on July 1. 

Huffman emphasized that 90% of third-party apps will still be able to access Reddit’s API for free. That’s because the company is offering free API access for apps that only require 100 API or 10 API queries per minute, depending on the client ID. In addition, "non-commercial, accessibility-focused apps and tools will continue to have free access."

But for other apps that need a higher API access rate, Huffman conceded they’ll need to pay up. “Some apps such as Apollo, Reddit is Fun, and Sync have decided this pricing doesn’t work for their businesses and will close before pricing goes into effect,” he wrote. 

Reddit’s CEO was then asked