I tried it over a year after its initial release, thinking they’d have time to sort out the biggest problems. I thought other redditors were possibly exaggerating, or recalling their experiences with an earlier version. It couldn’t be that bad, right?

Yeah, it could. Wow. They’re trying to encourage people to use an app that’s utter shit. It’s an… interesting strategy.

Reddit's priorities aren't the same as someone developing an app for ease of use, readability, accessibility, etc. Reddit only cares about the backend tech that helps them control and serve ad space. And if you want to believe the bts tea that recently spilled, Reddit doesn't even structurally prioritize coding and development in the first place.

I was an rif die-hard. Such an elegant, useful app. It's nothing like its source site.

The people that stay never knew they could have something better. It's like people that don't mind the ads, on Reddit or otherwise. If they never got exposed to the pre-ads Internet or to a good ad blocker, they don't even know they could complain about this experience.