Steve Huffman highlights strong user growth, rising ad revenue, and new AI-powered search features amid evolving partnerships with OpenAI and Google
Reddit (RDDT) CEO Steve Huffman downplayed the impact of AI chatbots on the company’s traffic, emphasizing that Google search and direct visits remain the dominant sources of user activity. Speaking during Reddit’s Q3 2025 earnings call, Huffman said that while partnerships with companies like OpenAI and Google are strong, chatbots are “not a traffic driver today.”
“[Chatbots are] not a traffic driver today,” Huffman told analysts. “Our relationships with the companies we work with are healthy, and we’ve all learned a lot about the value of Reddit’s data and how our products can help each other. But they’re not a major traffic driver today.” He noted that approximately 50% of Reddit’s traffic comes from Google and the other half from direct access.
Reddit has had a complex relationship with AI developers. In 2024, it restricted access to its data, requiring licenses for commercial use, and later signed a deal with OpenAI to train its models. The company also maintains a partnership with Google but has been involved in legal disputes with other AI firms such as Anthropic and Perplexity.
Financially, Reddit reported a robust quarter, with $585 million in revenue, up 68% year-over-year, and 116 million daily active users, reflecting 20% annual growth. The platform saw a 31% rise in international users and more than 190 million Americans visiting weekly.
Huffman said Reddit is investing heavily in AI-powered search, noting that 20% of searches now run through its AI Answers feature. A unified AI and search experience is expected to roll out in the coming quarters, alongside a simplified onboarding process designed to boost early user engagement.
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