Reddit CEO says Google AI Mode does not drive traffic
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman stated during the Q3 2026 earnings call that Google’s AI-powered search features are no longer a source of traffic for the platform. He noted that search referrals dropped by more than 1 million per week in October, attributing this decline to the fundamental shift caused by AI Mode and AI Overviews. Huffman argued that these features push content down the search page…
Key points
- Reddit search traffic dropped by more than 1 million referrals per week in October.
- CEO Steve Huffman says Google AI Mode and AI Overviews do not drive traffic to Reddit.
- Reddit is forcing logins and launching a 'For You' feed to retain users directly.
Huffman also mentioned that Reddit believes its machine-translated content is being ranked lower in search results, which primarily affects non-US users. Despite this, he emphasized that demand for Reddit remains high, noting that the company is still a top search term and that Google continues to crawl the site aggressively. The issue, he said, is that Google is no longer sending users to Reddit as it used to.
To counter the loss of search referrals, Reddit is focusing on becoming a direct, sticky daily destination. Recent moves include launching a “For You” feed with interest-based recommendations and testing an AI experiment that converts posts into short videos. Additionally, the company announced a mandatory login requirement for all users, which Huffman claims will improve user experience, boost the advertising business, and enhance data protection.
Reddit’s CEO says Google’s AI Mode ‘does not drive traffic’
theverge.com · 29 October 2026
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