Reddit’s CEO says Google’s AI Mode ‘does not drive traffic’

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman stated that Google's AI-powered search modes, specifically AI Mode and AI Overviews, are not driving traffic to the platform, despite being a 'top search term' on Google. According to Reddit's Q3 2026 earnings, search traffic in October dropped by over 1 million referrals per week. Huffman attributed this to the shift in how Google works, with AI Mode and AI Overviews now pushing users 'down the search page'. Additionally, Reddit believes its machine-translated content is being ranked lower in search results, which would primarily affect users outside the US. Reddit is working to combat this by making the platform a 'direct, sticky, daily destination'.