Huffman says AI summaries strip context from Reddit posts as the company reconsiders its $60M Google licensing deal. A Pew study found the new search format cut referrals by nearly half.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman told investors that Google's AI Overviews are cutting traffic to the platform and that the company is reconsidering its $60 million licensing deal with the search giant.
In a letter to shareholders, Huffman framed Reddit as "the antidote to an automated web," arguing that AI-generated summaries strip out the context, personal opinion, and first-hand accounts users come to Reddit for. "People don't want a summary of Reddit; they want Reddit," he wrote.
Huffman's comments, reported Saturday by Ars Technica, follow Reddit's latest earnings call, where he said AI Overviews have yet to match the traffic contribution of traditional search links. "10 blue links has driven tremendous value and growth to the broader ecosystem," Huffman said. "From where we sit, AI Overviews has yet to make a similar level of positive impact."
The tension comes as a 2025 Pew Research study found that Google's AI Overviews cut referrals to sites like Reddit by nearly half compared to the old "10 blue links" format. A Google spokesperson told Ars the Pew study used a flawed methodology and an unrepresentative query set. Google later published a blog post saying total organic click volume to websites has been "relatively stable year-over-year."
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Reddit was weighing whether to end its $60 million licensing deal with Google. Huffman did not confirm the report in his letter or on the earnings call.
Google in May rolled out its biggest search redesign in 25 years, replacing ranked link lists with AI-generated answers that accept text, images, video, and documents as inputs. By June, reports emerged that some consumers were switching to other services to avoid AI-powered search, while others were bypassing traditional search entirely in favor of AI chatbots.
The shift comes as AI usage becomes routine for small daily tasks, according to the PYMNTS Intelligence report "The AI On-Ramp: Data Shows How Everyday Tasks Build Consumer Habits."
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