Google's AI Mode doesn't drive traffic "for anybody," Reddit CEO Huffman warns the entire web
Google's AI Mode doesn't drive traffic "for anybody," Reddit CEO Huffman warns the entire web
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said Reddit lost more than 1 million visits per week from Google Search in October, attributing the decline to AI Overviews and AI Mode, and said AI Mode brings no traffic to Reddit or any website.
The original article uses Reddit's search traffic data to show that AI Mode poses a structural risk to sites dependent on Google traffic, with implications that extend to the entire open web.
Oct 30, 2026
AI Mode has tanked not just Google's stock but Reddit's too. Shares dropped over 25 percent despite strong earnings, after CEO Steve Huffman revealed that Reddit lost more than one million Google search referrals per week in October. He blames AI Overviews and AI Mode: "AI Mode does not drive traffic. Not for us, and not to anybody as far as I know. That's just a fundamental shift in how Google works," Huffman said.
Reddit says demand for the platform hasn't changed, but Google simply stopped sending users there. In response, it's testing login walls outside the U.S. to curb scraping and reduce its dependence on the open web. Huffman sees it as a trade-off: less reach for deeper engagement. Data licensing talks with AI providers continue, though it's not certain that Reddit, which already had a deal with Google and massively profited from it, will close further ones.
What's hitting Reddit is a warning for the entire web. Any business that depends on Google for traffic faces the same structural risk.
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Source: The Decoder · the-decoder.com