Reddit’s unpopular choice to revise its API pricing in a transfer that’s forcing third-party apps out of enterprise has taken a bizarre flip. In an AMA hosted at this time by Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman, aka u/spez on the web discussion board web site, the exec doubled down on accusations towards the developer behind the popular third-party app Apollo, which the corporate had beforehand accused of working inefficiently and never being “API” consumer.
Despite neighborhood backlash — which features a site-wide protest from 1000’s of communities often called subreddits — Huffman’s AMA confirmed the corporate has no plans to revise its coming API modifications. What’s extra, Huffman continued his accusations towards Apollo, calling out the developer, Christian Selig’s, “behavior and communications” as being “all over the place” and saying he couldn’t see Reddit working with the developer additional.
Selig had been among the many first to spotlight that Reddit’s new API pricing would successfully make it unimaginable to proceed to function the Apollo app. He defined that, below the brand new phrases, it might price him $20 million per yr to take action — cash the app doesn’t make. This week, Selig introduced the app’s final day could be June 30, forward of the July 1 implementation of the brand new API pricing.
Other third-party apps are additionally closing down, together with Sync, RIF and Reddplant, to call a couple of.
But Huffman seemingly has an ax to grind with Selig in explicit, first accusing the developer of extortion, per Selig’s in depth submit on the state of affairs between himself and Reddit.
According to Selig’s interpretation of the state of affairs, he raised the query as to why Reddit was selecting to alter its API phrases to place third-party apps out of enterprise reasonably than simply shopping for them out, as the corporate did with Alien Blue (an older Reddit shopper that it acquired in 2014). He stated that if Apollo was costing Reddit $20 million per yr, Reddit ought to reduce him a test to place an finish to the app. The comment doesn’t sound like a critical ask from his telling. In truth, he clarified on the decision, “…this is mostly a joke.”
If something, it comes throughout as a way of attempting to grasp why the corporate would make a transfer that’s certain to generate sick will amongst its wider neighborhood. (As it has.)
A Reddit consultant on a name with Selig, nevertheless, first seemingly interpreted his remark as a “threat,” Selig stated. But on the decision, they cleared up the misunderstanding and the contact apologized. Selig got here with receipts — he recorded the decision (which is authorized the place he’s based mostly in Canada).
But in a subsequent name with moderators, Huffman referred to this dialog as Selig “threatening” Reddit.
That stance hasn’t softened on Reddit’s facet, Huffman made clear at this time.
In the AMA, one consumer requested Huffman to make clear, “what were you thinking with your attempt to discredit Apollo by claiming that Christian threatened and blackmailed you?”
The response was shocking. Unlike most corporations, which attempt to soften their blows behind company PR converse, Huffman answered reasonably plainly.
“His ‘joke’ is the least of our issues,” the CEO wrote. “His behavior and communications with us has been all over the place—saying one thing to us while saying something completely different externally; recording and leaking a private phone call—to the point where I don’t know how we could do business with him.”
It’s an odd flip of occasions for Apollo, whose iOS-first and user-friendly design simply this week noticed it featured throughout Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference, forward of Reddit’s API coverage change that may now put it out of enterprise.
Other outstanding builders have come out in help of Selig following this debacle.
Halide co-founder Sebastiaan de With tweeted on Thursday calling Selig “one of the nicest guys in our indie app world,” and stated Reddit administration was mendacity, slandering, and vilifying him. Others quote-tweeted and agreed.
Unless Reddit’s board chooses to intervene, it doesn’t appear that Huffman is worried a lot concerning the fallout from these choices, site-wide protest or not.
In the AMA, he fended off plenty of questions, politely phrased and never, from customers upset over the API modifications. These ranged from these questioning the mannequin (why not a profit-sharing mannequin like Epic does with Unreal?) and asking concerning the compressed timeframe to broader questions on Reddit’s shift to being extra about income than neighborhood engagement. (“We’ll continue to be profit-driven until profits arrive,” the CEO replied. “Unlike some of the 3P apps, we are not profitable.”)
“Some apps, like Apollo, Reddit is Fun and Sync have decided this [API] pricing doesn’t work for their businesses and will close before pricing goes into effect,” Huffman defined. “For the other apps, we will continue talking. We acknowledge that the timeline we gave was tight; we are happy to engage with folks who want to work with us.”
In the feedback, although, ReddPlanet’s developer (u/lupeski, aka Tony Lupeski) stated “this is a blatant lie,” noting that he had tried a number of occasions to get in contact with Reddit relating to these modifications and had been ignored. Another indie app developer stated they’d crammed out a request for Enterprise API entry 3 times and had acquired no response.
As for the remainder of the AMA, there’s little extra to report past what Reddit had already shared. The firm is seemingly unmoved by the neighborhood backlash over its API modifications and has no intention to delay or rethink. It will nonetheless keep its carve-out for a handful of accessibility-focused apps, as said.
Huffman additionally clarified that whereas The NYT piece positioned the API pricing modifications as a approach to restrict entry to its boards, which have turn into a coaching floor for giant language fashions (LLMs), that’s not the one motive behind this transfer. The firm can be spending “tens of millions of dollars” per yr to help the third-party app ecosystem, and that wanted to be reigned in. (And it’s in “active discussion” with corporations utilizing Reddit as coaching information for his or her AIs).
The exec moreover famous that entry to mature content material shall be restricted by way of its Data API as of July 5, 2023, as a part of a broader effort to supply extra guardrails below a “stricter” regulatory surroundings, however express content material was nonetheless being allowed.
An overview of the AMA in a extra readable format is obtainable on r/Save3rdPartyApps, a neighborhood that sprung up because the API modifications have been introduced. The discussion board now has over 50,000 members.