Huffman’s scramble to increase revenue underlines something he’s previously admitted to—that he isn’t really sure how to run Reddit like a business, and he’s adjusting his leadership style to try to get there. It’s one thing, and hardly a small one, to network with the right people, sign on investors, build up an information monolith, and convince a volunteer community to make your vision possible; it’s another thing to turn this into a moneymaking enterprise.
Huffman always viewed his baby as being powered by its people, and he granted them ample power with only occasional clampdowns when the unruly crowds truly worsened the experience for everyone else. But the Redditors protesting now aren’t asking for the right to revenge porn; they want to preserve the spirit of the platform. And Huffman might cut off their power just for that.