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Reddit Ramps Up Its Threats To Protesting Mods, As Ad Buyers Leave
(www.techdirt.com)
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this post was submitted on 30 Jun 2023
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Because the goal was never to get some kind of fair price for using the API. That's why they priced it at "Fuck You."
Ultimately what they want is for people to stop using 3rd party apps entirely because 3rd party apps either don't show advertisements, or they show advertisements that give ad revenue to the developer.
They want everyone using their app because the valuation of tech companies directly correlates to the number of eyeballs they can serve ads to. Old.reddit will be next, and I bet they'll try to start blocking ad blockers after that.
Imgur has fair API prices and they serve images and video. Reddit serves goddamn text (or at least that's their core business and if they can't afford picture and video they shouldn't do it).
Sure users would have had to pay some money and/or the 3rd party devs would have had to funnel some of their ad revenue to reddit. But if it was a reasonable amount, I doubt many people would have complained about it (there are always some). Everybody knows Reddit has to make money somehow.
This wasn't designed to make money though. This was designed to kill all third party apps. I don't even see the upside from a business perspective. This seems like a petulent manchild move by Spez, just like his idol Elon would make it...
The only thing stopping 3rd party apps from showing reddits adds though was reddit never including them into the api. They actually HAD an agreememt with the rif author to take a cut of rif's ad revenue but as soon as spez took over as ceo he quietly axed that.
Investors wanted to see "app growth" for multiple quarters not underatanding that the app isn't what maked reddit, and so ~~spez~~ spaz is doing what he is in a desperate and stupid attempt to claw up some numbers so he can cash out when the ipo hits.
Reddit app use DID see some grown during the pandemic, but can't sustain that because its app is shit. They haven't improved it ever. It began as a 3rd party app and they purchased it from the original dev. The only changes were to add that pathic coin shop and some sticker/avatar crap to sell you.