‘Unlike some of the 3P [third-party] apps, we are not profitable,’ Steve Huffman says in defending the move to charge for high-volume API access.

  • setsneedtofeed@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    There was never serious competition to threaten Reddit before. Voat was the closest, but when legitimate redditfugees got there it was already full of a critical mass of Nazis (actual Nazis, not “everyone I don’t like is a Nazi”) and people who thought spamming slurs was peak free speech. Not exactly a solid foundation for popular new site.

    • hydrospanner@vlemmy.net
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      1 year ago

      Well said.

      In that case, I think the reddit administration did a good job of excising the people it didn’t want, letting them take root elsewhere before the main mass went to check that place out, and letting that main mass come right back.

      At the time, I thought it was a calculated and intelligent move on their part, fully intentional.

      After what we’re seeing now, I think maybe they lucked out.

      I guess it’s some sort of Hanlon’s Inverse Corollary: Never attribute to intelligence what can be adequately explained by dumb luck.