--- title: "A Scandal Is Making Reddit Look Absolutely Horrible Right Now" description: "Redditors are teeming with rage right now in light of the social media platform's controversial decision to start charging for its API." date: "2023-06-09" modified: "2023-06-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scandal-reddit-horrible" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "reddit" - "the digest" --- # A Scandal Is Making Reddit Look Absolutely Horrible Right Now ![Redditors are teeming with rage right now in light of the social media platform's controversial decision to start charging for its API.]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## AITA As the company's IPO looms, a huge swathe of Redditors is absolutely teeming with rage after the platform's controversial decision to [start charging]() third-party apps huge quantities for access to its API. The company [announced]() back in April that it will start charging a premium "for third parties who require additional capabilities, higher usage limits, and broader usage rights." As a result, Apollo, one of the most popular third-party Reddit mobile clients out there — as well as a [slew of other apps]() that used the site's data — will be shutting down. "It's been an amazing run thanks to all of you," Apollo founder Christian Selig wrote in a post that has [since gone mega-viral](). ## FTFY It's a notable escalation that's part of a much wider movement. Selig's decision comes as many of the platform's largest communities are [set to go dark]() on June 12, protesting the company's API pricing changes. While Reddit has responded to these protests by [creating an exemption]() for makers of accessibility apps specifically, many Redditors are still irate. Particularly when it comes to the shutdown of Apollo, a much-beloved app that has [roughly 1.5 million monthly users]() and tens of thousands of paying subscribers, Redditors are clearly appalled with the company's new revenue scheme, with [many]() vowing to delete their accounts. Others called the decision "[heartbreaking]()." In his post, Selig argued that the 30 days Reddit gave developers was far too little time to make the required changes. "That’s a lot of users to migrate, plans to create, things to test, and to get through app review, and it’s just not economically feasible," he wrote. "It’s much cheaper for me to simply shut down." ## TL;DR Selig also claims that CEO Steve Huffman told moderators that Apollo "threatened us" and blackmailed them for $10 million. He also shared recordings of a conversation between him and a Reddit employee to seem to demonstrate that the implication of blackmail was a mistake the employee apologized for. The incident likely won't help Reddit's efforts to regain the trust of its users. While Reddit has remained largely quiet about its controversial decision, Huffman is set to answer questions during an AMA later today — and he likely won't get the friendliest of welcomes. **More on Reddit:** *[Reddit Demands Payments for AI Trained on Its Users]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()