Reddit is showing no signs of relenting in its fight against third-party client Apollo
Reddit has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. The community-oriented social media platform recently announced a significant price increase in its APIs, effectively forcing third-party clients into ceasing operations. The writing was pretty much on the wall for services like Apollo, which would have to spend up to $20 million per year following the API pricing change. Earlier this week, Apollo developer Christian Selig announced that his service would shut down on June 30, a day before the new API changes come into effect, marking the end of an era for one of the most loved Reddit apps out there.
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But what has taken most people by surprise is the position of Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, who talked about the disagreements with Selig in a recent AMA while doubling down on the notion that the Apollo developer blackmailed the company. This is in reference to the developer claiming early on that Reddit should consider acquiring Apollo rather than push them out the door with the revised API prices. He later indicated that this was meant as a joke. But even if it wasn't, there's precedent for Reddit buying a third-party client.
Nevertheless, Huffman, who is known as spez on the platform, said, "His 'joke' is the least of our issues," referring to Selig. He went on to accuse the developer of saying something to the company in private and something else entirely in public. However, Selig has since challenged Huffman to furnish proof of this accusation. The CEO then addressed the "private" phone call recording released by Selig. But as one of the Redditors points out, recording phone conversations is not illegal in Canada, where the developer resides.
For some additional context, the recorded phone call in question was between the Apollo developer and a Reddit representative, with the latter initially regarding the Apollo creator's comment about Reddit buying them out as a "threat," per Selig. However, the two clear things out eventually, with the Reddit rep apologizing to the developer. However, despite this knowledge, Huffman told moderators in a call later that the Apollo developer was "threatening" the platform, TechCrunch reports.
Apollo is not the only Reddit client that's closing its doors on June 30, with the likes of RIF, Sync, Reddplanet, and others also joining the list. If there's one good news to come out of this, it's that Reddit is exempting makers of accessibility-focused apps from the revised pricing structure, the company confirmed in a statement to The Verge earlier this week.
Meanwhile, several top subreddits are protesting the upcoming API pricing changes by going dark for 48 hours beginning June 12. Some big names are participating in this blackout, including r/gaming, r/music, and a few others with millions of members.
For Reddit's part, the CEO says the API pricing revision is necessary to get the company into profitability. In response to a question about the general perception that Reddit has become increasingly motivated at the cost of community engagement, Huffman said the platform will continue on this path until its profits see an uptick. "Unlike some of the 3P apps, we are not profitable," the executive went on to say.
While Reddit's reasoning for the API price increase is logical, the company could definitely do without the public (and unfounded) accusations against a developer who is bidding goodbye to a universally adored app. This certainly isn't the last we've heard of this, especially with the Reddit CEO making some big accusations against Selig.
It's rather unfortunate, however, that the company couldn't find a way to hash things out with Apollo considering its popularity. Let's not forget there were some who paid for Apollo's lifetime subscription and are now left hanging following Reddit's new API pricing structure.
Source: Android Police
