Much of Reddit is inaccessible as users protest planned changes to the website.
Popular Reddit pages, known as "subreddits," with names like /r/funny, /r/sports, /r/todayilearned and /r/music are currently inaccessible for new posts in a protest over planned changes to the website.
In April, as AI-powered chatbots soared in popularity, Reddit announced it was planning to change the pricing to access its API. Engadget Senior Editor Karissa Bell said the move was intended to crack down on companies that use Reddit's API for AI programs. "Third party developers, who make these Reddit clients, started sounding the alarm and saying, 'hey, we're probably not going to be allowed to continue operating our services at these prices,'" said Bell.
Selig said his company would have to pay $20 million annually for API access. "I don't see how this pricing is anything based in reality or remotely reasonable," Selig wrote in a post on Reddit, adding, "I hope it goes without saying that I don't have that kind of money or would even know how to charge it to a credit card." Apollo said it would shut down its app on June 30, when the new API pricing goes into effect.
On Monday morning, visitors to Reddit were greeted with a variety of messages from some of the platform's most popular communities. The subreddit /r/Music currently displays a message that says it is "Closed Indefinitely for Reddit API Policy Change Protest." The /r/aww subreddit, which is dedicated to cute images, notes that it has gone private "due to Reddit's decision to effectively kill 3rd party applications with their API costs.
"Of course, bills need to be paid and they need to have a sustainable platform going forward, and they need to charge bills to do so" said Selig. "But do so in a way that respects the community and makes them feel like they're not being taken to lunch."
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