The fact that the Reddit API scandal has now been spun into some ‘battle’ of salty users vs Reddit is, in microcosm, a win for Reddit. By all appearances, when viewed under that lens, they ‘won’.
It was never a struggle, it was a statement of intent. And that statement of intent has, in my opinion, been actioned because here we are now, with a promising alternative.
Reddit will probably flourish under its new guise, accepting that isn’t a sort of capitulation. Just move on.
Yeah that’s my point. The fact they were suddenly asking for astronomical fees was conveniently skimmed over in favor of this ‘greedy 3rd parties want stuff for free’ narrative.
Same setup Love it.
The blatant astroturfing is what really icked me out. From day one of the API changes, it was clear that Reddit had spun up the spin machine and had begun to misrepresent the issues.
The main one was how they tried to push the “they just want the API for free”, “we’re entitled to charge for our services” narrative.
Everywhere Reddit goes, it takes the cringe with it, it seems.
The allure of an easier or more comfortable alternative. It’s never nice being forced out of your confort zone, but like any exercise worth doing, mental or physical, you never regret it in hindsight.