GoKawiilReddit CEO says Google AI Mode isn't driving site traffic
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said on the company's Q3 2026 earnings call that Google's AI Mode and AI Overviews no longer send meaningful traffic to Reddit or other websites. Reddit disclosed that weekly search referrals fell by more than 1 million on average in October, which Huffman linked partly to AI-driven search changes and to machine-translated content being ranked lower outside the US.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Huffman's comments suggest that AI-generated search answers are reshaping the web's traffic economy by keeping users on Google rather than directing them to source sites, a dynamic other publishers have also reported. Reddit's push toward a
- Reddit says weekly search referrals dropped over 1 million on average in October 2026
- CEO Steve Huffman says Google's AI Mode and AI Overviews no longer drive site traffic
- Reddit is building direct features like a new 'For You' feed to reduce reliance on Google search
Source: theverge.com — Jay Peters, 2026-10-29
Published there as: “Reddit’s CEO says Google’s AI Mode ‘does not drive traffic’”
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