Reddit CEO says Google AI Mode does not drive traffic
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman stated during a Q3 2026 earnings call that Google's AI search features are reducing referrals to the platform.
Search traffic drops significantly
The company reported that search traffic in October fell by more than one million referrals on average per week. Huffman attributes this decline to how AI Mode and AI Overviews have changed the search experience.
Content ranking issues arise
Reddit believes its machine-translated content is being ranked lower in search results, which would primarily affect operations outside the United States. Huffman noted that these features now push everyone down the search page at a minimum.
Platform remains popular term
Despite the reduction in referrals, Huffman stated that Reddit remains a top search term on Google. He added that this situation does not indicate a lack of consumer demand for the site.
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