The subreddit r/de, which used to be the largest German-speaking subforum on Reddit, is currently on strike along with other major subreddits. The moderators are protesting against Reddit’s handling of third-party developers and announced API price increases that have impacted popular Reddit apps. In an interview, the Apollo developer criticized the high API prices and Reddit’s chaotic communication. The r/de moderators have not directly communicated with Reddit’s management but are in contact with the German-speaking administration. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman referred to the moderators of Blackout subreddits as “country gentry” and threatened to replace them. The moderators believe that Huffman lacks appreciation for their work and has little understanding of how the platform operates. They also criticize Reddit for promoting power mods and not addressing previous criticisms about moderators moderating multiple subreddits. The recent events have demotivated many of the moderators on r/de, who feel that Reddit’s leadership lacks appreciation for moderators and content creators. They rely on third-party tools and APIs due to the lack of satisfactory native tools provided by Reddit. The moderators are uncertain about how long the blackout will last and mention that recent events have increased the willingness for an indefinite blackout in many mod teams. There is communication and coordination among German-speaking moderators on a Discord server, but each subreddit decides individually on the best solution for its community. The moderators are aware of alternative platforms like Feddit/Lemmy and kbin, but believe that Reddit still has a monopoly on forum culture and will remain the dominant platform. They believe that the migration to alternative platforms is temporary and requires too much effort for the average user.
