Reddit—Reddit removed volunteer moderator teams from subreddits that protested API pricing changes
During the June 2023 API pricing protests, when approximately 8,500 subreddits went private or restricted, some communities labeled themselves NSFW in continued protest. Reddit administrators responded by removing entire moderation teams from protesting subreddits, citing violations of the Moderator Code of Conduct. CEO Steve Huffman dismissed the protest, saying 'It's a small group that's very upset' and telling employees internally that the protest 'will pass.'
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| User Autonomy | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Worker Rights | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.429 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (medium ×1) × confidence (0.57)
Evidence (1 signal)
Reddit removed moderator teams from protesting subreddits during API pricing backlash
During the June 2023 API pricing protests, Reddit administrators removed entire moderation teams from subreddits that labeled themselves NSFW in protest, citing Moderator Code of Conduct violations. The Verge published an internal memo in which CEO Steve Huffman told employees the protest 'will pass.' Huffman told NPR it was 'a small group that's very upset.'