“During October, we have seen that search traffic has dropped by more than 1 million referrals on average per week. If this rate of decline continues, current trends would suggest that total DAUqs [or daily active unique users] could fall in Q4, by a low-double-digit percentage from our current base of 130 million DAUqs,” Huffman wrote.
Huffman would like Reddit to become less dependent on search referrals. “Logged-in and app DAUq are our most valuable users, and they are our primary focus,” he wrote.
https://www.reuters.com/business/reddit-pinterest-shares-tumble-weak-user-revenue-growth-2026-10-30/
Reddit plunges as Google AI search squeezes traffic
Oct 30 (Reuters) - Shares of Reddit (RDDT.N), tumbled 23% in premarket trading on Friday after it warned Google's growing use of AI in search was hurting referral traffic and could shrink its user base, offering fresh evidence of AI-driven disruption.
- Reddit's warning highlights how Google's shift toward AI-powered search, which can answer queries directly, is disrupting the flow of traffic to websites that have traditionally relied on the search engine for users
- Total daily active unique visitors could fall by a low double-digit percentage in the fourth quarter from about 130 million if referral traffic continues to fall, Reddit said