Although tech giants like OpenAI and Google are vigorously promoting AI chatbots as the next generation of search interfaces, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman clearly stated during the company's third-quarter 2025 earnings call that AI chatbots are not currently a major source of traffic for the platform. This statement has cooled the current narrative that "AI will replace traditional search," and also reveals the complex trade-offs between AI collaboration and user growth on social platforms.
Huffman pointed out that Reddit's traffic still heavily relies on two traditional channels—Google Search and direct visits, each accounting for about 50%. "These numbers are estimates, but they are quite close to reality," he said when responding to analysts' questions. Although the company has established partnerships with multiple AI companies, "they (chatbots) are not a traffic driver today."
Data Access and Commercial Licensing: Reddit's "Have It All" Strategy
Over the past two years, Reddit's relationship with large model companies has been delicate. In May 2024, the platform tightened its data policies, explicitly prohibiting unauthorized commercial data scraping and requiring any company using its content to train AI models to sign a licensing agreement. However, at the same time that the policy was tightened, Reddit reached an exclusive partnership with OpenAI, allowing it to use platform data to train models; it also signed similar agreements with Google.
Not all AI companies have been granted access. Reddit has sued companies such as Anthropic and Perplexity, accusing them of mass scraping community content without permission. This "selective openness" strategy protects the value of data assets and opens up new sources of licensing revenue for the company.
Strong Performance: Dual Growth in Users and Revenue, Early Success in AI Search
According to the financial report, Reddit achieved revenue of $585 million this quarter, a 68% year-over-year increase; daily active users reached 116 million, and weekly active users reached 444 million, an increase of 20%. International daily active users grew by 31%, and more than 190 million U.S. users visit the platform each week.
Notably, Reddit is deeply integrating AI into its core product—search. Huffman revealed that currently, 20% of search requests on the platform are handled by the AI-powered "Answers" feature. In Q3, 75 million users per week obtained information through the search bar. "We are unifying the AI and traditional search experience, and this integration will be fully implemented over the next few quarters," he said.
Simplify Onboarding, Accelerate User Engagement
To improve new user retention, Reddit is testing a simpler onboarding process. Huffman emphasized, "We want users to feel the unique value of Reddit right from their first use—there is content tailored for them here." The goal is to quickly establish content connections in the initial session, lowering the cognitive barrier.
Conclusion: AI Is a Tool, Not a Traffic Savior
Reddit's practice shows that, at this stage, AI chatbots are more of a supplementary channel for content consumption rather than a traffic engine. What truly drives user engagement is high-quality community content and an efficient information retrieval experience. For Reddit, the value of AI lies not in "being called upon," but in "being integrated"—becoming an invisible driver that enhances search and discovery efficiency within the platform. This cautious and practical AI strategy may offer a more sustainable integration model for other content platforms.
