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Reddit CEO to Require User Logins Worldwide Test

By Drooid · Oct 30, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman announced the platform will require all users to log in.
He attributed a loss of over 1 million weekly Google search referrals in October to AI Mode.
Reddit posted 53% revenue growth, 16% rise in weekly active users, and EPS $1.40 versus $1.35 expected.
Shares dropped more than 15% after earnings and weaker fourth-quarter guidance.
Reddit will test the login-only model in Q4 outside the United States.

History

When Google launched Google+ on June 28 2011, it sought to unify user identities but reached only about 540 million users by October 2013 and was shut down in April 2019 after low engagement. Reddit’s 2024 login mandate under CEO Steve Huffman mirrors that earlier shift from open access to data capture, a pattern first seen in Google’s failed social-network effort.

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When Google launched Google+ on June 28 2011, it sought to unify user identities but reached only about 540 million users by October 2013 and was shut down in April 2019 after low engagement. Reddit’s 2024 login mandate under CEO Steve Huffman mirrors that earlier shift from open access to data capture, a pattern first seen in Google’s failed social-network effort.

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