Reddit CEO Steve Huffman stated during an earnings call on 30 October 2026 that Google AI Mode fails to drive search traffic to the platform, mirroring issues experienced by various publishers. The Verge reports that Reddit saw search traffic drop by over 1 million referrals per week on average during October.
Key takeaways
- Reddit CEO Steve Huffman stated Google AI Mode does not drive traffic.
- Reddit experienced a drop of over 1 million referrals per week on average in October.
- The company believes machine-translated content is ranked lower in search results outside the US.
- Reddit plans to force all users to log in for better security and ads.
Does Google AI Mode impact search traffic?
Huffman shared his thoughts on search traffic referrals during the company Q3 2026 earnings call. According to The Verge, he explained that the shift in how Google works means it is no longer a traffic driver. He mentioned that features like AI Overviews and AI Mode push everyone down the search page. Also, Reddit believes its machine-translated content in foreign languages is getting lower ranks in search results.
How are search traffic referrals affecting Reddit?
Despite the referral drops, Reddit remains a top search term on Google, with the search engine crawling the platform as hard as ever. To fight these search referral difficulties, Reddit launched a For You feed with recommendations and tested an AI experiment turning posts into short videos. Also, the platform announced it will force every user to log in.
What it means for the platform next
Forcing users to log in will help the ads business, align with safety regulations, and protect Reddit data according to Huffman. Meanwhile, Google reported lower monetization in AI Mode ads while expanding those ads to more countries. Both companies continue to navigate the shifts brought by generative search experiences.
Frequently asked questions
Steve Huffman stated during an earnings call that Google AI Mode does not drive traffic to Reddit or to anybody else, marking a fundamental shift in how Google works.
Reddit revealed that its search traffic in October dropped by more than 1 million referrals on average per week.
Reddit believes that its content machine-translated into other languages is being ranked lower in search results, primarily affecting the company outside the US.
Reddit introduced a For You feed with recommendations, tested an AI experiment to turn posts into short videos, and announced plans to force everyone to log in.
Google reported that it is seeing lower monetization in AI Mode ads, though it is currently bringing AI ads to more countries.
Based on reporting by The Verge. Read the original article
