Reddit does not get much traffic from AI chatbots
What's the story
Reddit's CEO Steve Huffman has said that artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are not a major source of traffic for the social media platform. This assertion comes despite the success of companies like OpenAI and Google in getting people to use AI for search. During Reddit's Q3 2025 earnings call, Huffman emphasized that Google search and direct access remain Reddit's top traffic drivers.
Partnerships
Huffman on Reddit's partnerships with AI companies
Huffman acknowledged the healthy relationships Reddit has with its partners, saying they have all learned a lot over the last couple of years. He emphasized the value of Reddit's data and how their respective products can help each other. However, he was clear in his statement that chatbots are not a major traffic driver for Reddit at this point in time.
Traffic breakdown
Reddit's complicated relationship with LLM builders
When asked about the traffic split between Google and direct access, Huffman said those numbers are "approximate, but pretty close." Reddit has had a complicated relationship with large language model (LLM) builders. In May 2024, it restricted its data through a new policy change and said any commercial use of its data would require a license. However, the company also signed an agreement with OpenAI to allow it to use Reddit data for model training.
Growth metrics
Reddit reported $585M in revenue for Q3
Reddit reported a strong quarter with $585 million in revenue, a 68% year-on-year increase. The platform also saw 116 million daily active unique users and 444 million weekly active unique users, marking a 20% growth YoY. The firm noted a 31% YoY growth in international daily users and claimed that over 190 million Americans visit the social network every week.