Reddit CEO Says Google's AI Search Modes Are Not Driving Traffic
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said Google's AI-powered search features are not helping drive traffic to Reddit. Speaking during Reddit's Q3 2026 earnings call, Huffman said AI Mode does not appear to benefit Reddit or, as far as he knows, other websites either.
Reddit also reported that its search traffic in October fell by more than 1 million referrals per week on average. Huffman attributed part of the decline to changes introduced by AI Mode and AI Overviews, which alter how users interact with Google search results.
His comments reflect a broader concern among publishers: as search engines present more information directly through AI-generated answers, users may have less reason to visit the underlying websites.