Reddit warns of user decline as Google referrals fall

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said the company lost more than one million Google search referrals per week on average during October, and warned that daily active users could fall by a low double-digit percentage in the fourth quarter if the decline continues. Reddit also plans to test sign-in-first access in selected markets outside the United States during the quarter. Huffman made the referral estimate during Reddit’s third-quarter earnings call. He said the losses accelerated toward the end of October and attributed the shift to changes in Google Search, including AI Overviews and AI Mode, which provide answers directly in search results and can reduce clicks through to websites. His explanation reflects the company’s assessment; the reported referral figure was not presented as an independent measurement. The possible user decline is a conditional outlook, not a reported outcome. Reddit put its daily active user base at about 130 million for the warning. In its quarterly results, the company reported 130.3 million daily active unique visitors worldwide, up 12% from a year earlier. Its U.S. total was 50.7 million, down 2% year over year. Reddit said the planned sign-in-first...