Reddit CEO Blames Google AI Mode for Search Referral Drop

Reddit reported a weekly average drop of over one million search referrals during October, attributing the decline largely to Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, which CEO Steve Huffman says "does not drive traffic." The decline accelerated late in the third quarter, hitting logged-out and web traffic hardest, with U.S. logged-out daily uniques falling from 30.1 million to 27.3 million between Q2 and Q3. Huffman cited Google's AI features as the primary factor, with machine-translated content ranking lower as a secondary cause. Reddit will test a logged-in-only experience in select non-U.S. markets this quarter, potentially limiting what search visitors can read before a login prompt. The company says it will likely trade reach for engagement, as logged-in and app users drive over 80% of its monetization.