--- title: "Reddit CEO Flies Into a Rage, Threatens Protesting Moderators" description: "The CEO of Reddit is big mad that his moderators are protesting him, and he might just do something about it." date: "2023-06-16" modified: "2023-06-16" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/reddit-ceo-threatens-mods" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "api" - "reddit" - "social media" - "the digest" --- # Reddit CEO Flies Into a Rage, Threatens Protesting Moderators ![The CEO of Reddit is big mad that his moderators are protesting him, and he might just do something about it.]() *\Image: Zach Gibson via Getty / Futurism\* ## Redditor-in-Chief The CEO of Reddit is *big mad* that his moderators are protesting, and he might just do something about it. As [moderators take their subreddits dark in protest]() of the social network's plan to charge for access to its API, [Reddit CEO Steve Huffman]() has gone on a media blitz in an apparent effort to save face before the company's [upcoming IPO]() — and, it seems, send a warning to those who've dared defy him. In one such [interview with *NBC News*](), Huffman bizarrely compared mods to, uh, "landed gentry" before threatening their power. "If you’re a politician or a business owner, you are accountable to your constituents. So a politician needs to be elected, and a business owner can be fired by its shareholders," the CEO said. "And I think, on Reddit, the analogy is closer to the landed gentry: The people who get there first get to stay there and pass it down to their descendants, and that is not democratic." ## Democracy Now? The "democratic" solution Huffman is proposing for mods — who, we must remind you, are not paid — would entail, it seems, putting moderator seats up to a vote within subreddits. Given that there are, [per *We Got This Covered*](), an estimated 140,000 subreddits currently active and that there were, as of [*Ars Technica*'s reporting yesterday](), more than 5,000 still dark, doing so would be a Herculean effort. Unsurprisingly, Huffman has not offered much in the way of logistical planning. "What I’m suggesting as a pathway out is actually more democracy," the CEO told *NBC*. "We’ve got some old, legacy decisions on how communities are run that we need to kind of work our way out of." In an [interview with *The Verge*](), Huffman reiterated his drive towards quote-unquote democracy — while also indicating that the company will be holding firm on its [much-criticized]() API changes. "That’s our business decision," he said. "And we’re not undoing that business decision." If you're confused about how that jibes with talks of democracy, you're not alone — but in the world of tech CEOs, things don't have to exactly make sense for them to be sold. **More on CEOs:** [*OpenAI CEO Hopeful World Leaders Will Save Us From AI He's Building*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()