Ahead of IPO, Reddit blends advertising into user posts

Reddit UX, Dogfooding, and Mobile Apps

• Several commenters argue Reddit leadership doesn’t “use their own product,” leading to unforced UX and product errors.
• The official app is widely criticized as clunky, unreliable, notification‑spammy, and less feature‑rich than third‑party clients like Apollo and RIF.
• Others counter that the app is “fine,” performant, and hard to replicate, and that much of the hate is blowback from shutting down third‑party apps rather than current quality issues.
• Dogfooding is framed as critical; one commenter cites an EV CEO improving charging after personally experiencing how bad it was.

Ads Blended Into Posts and Enshittification

• Many see “promoted posts” that mimic user content as another step in making the product worse to squeeze more revenue, comparing it to Google and Twitter’s ad-label erosion.
• Some note Reddit already had post-like ads; the change is that they’re now less obviously ads and can be native Reddit posts.
• Users share uBlock/custom filter rules to hide such ads, and several say this practice is a “nail in the coffin” that reduces trust and usefulness.
• A minority say Reddit’s ad quality is relatively good and sometimes contextually clever.

IPO, Business Model, and Investment Views

• Strong skepticism about the IPO: many see Reddit as unprofitable, overvalued, and mainly an exit for existing stakeholders.
• Some plan to short the stock post‑IPO or after lockup expiry; others warn that such patterns are likely priced in.
• A few explore it as a “fun stock” or short‑term “pop” play but prefer broad index funds for serious investing.
• There is disagreement on what Reddit sells: some say eyeballs and user data; others emphasize “influence” and purchasable reputation.

User Exodus, Alternatives, and Old Reddit

• Many former heavy users say the API changes and loss of third‑party apps sharply reduced their engagement.
• Lemmy/Fediverse are discussed but seen as immature, niche, and missing Reddit’s depth and network effects; bridges and subreddit‑to‑Lemmy mapping projects are in progress.
• Old.reddit.com is widely preferred; several say they will quit if it’s shut down, and some rely on redirects or alternative frontends (e.g., teddit).

Broader Structural Concerns

• Commenters link Reddit’s trajectory to “MBA‑ification,” enshittification, and ad‑driven incentives that gradually degrade UX.
• Some worry IPO-era shareholder pressure will further align Reddit toward content manipulation, reputation selling, and away from user/community interests.