Reddit CEO Says Google AI Search Features Reduce Platform Traffic

Impact of AI-Driven Search on Referral Traffic

During Reddit’s Q3 2026 earnings call, CEO Steve Huffman addressed the decline in search referral traffic, linking it to changes in Google’s search ecosystem. According to the company, Reddit experienced an average drop of over 1 million referrals per week during October. Huffman stated that Google’s AI Mode and AI Overviews have fundamentally altered the search experience, effectively pushing organic search results further down the page.

Key Points from the Earnings Call

• Shift in Traffic Dynamics: Huffman emphasized that AI-powered search modes are not designed to act as traffic drivers for websites, marking a departure from how traditional search engines functioned.
• Ranking Concerns: The company raised concerns that machine-translated content might be receiving lower rankings in international markets.
• Sustained User Interest: Despite lower referral numbers, Huffman maintained that Reddit remains a highly searched term, suggesting the decline is a result of Google’s indexing strategy rather than a decrease in public demand for the platform.
• Persistent Crawling: Google continues to crawl Reddit data at high volumes, indicating that the search engine still values the site's content for its AI training and data needs.

Strategic Pivot to User Retention

To mitigate reliance on external search traffic, Reddit is focusing on transforming the platform into a direct, daily destination for its users. The company recently launched a personalized "For You" feed and is testing AI-generated video summaries of posts. Furthermore, Reddit announced a new policy requiring users to log in to access the platform, a move the company claims will improve data protection, align with safety regulations, and bolster its advertising business.

Investors and observers can verify these claims by reviewing the official Q3 2026 earnings transcript and filings available on Reddit’s Investor Relations website.