Reddit CEO Steve Huffman stated that AI chatbots, including those from companies like OpenAI and Google, are not currently a significant driver of traffic to Reddit. Despite the growing use of AI for search, Reddit still relies mainly on direct visits and Google Search for its audience.
During Reddit’s Q3 2025 earnings call, Huffman emphasized that relationships with AI companies remain strong and mutually beneficial. He acknowledged that both Reddit and its partners have learned much about the value and potential of Reddit’s data over the past few years.
When asked about traffic distribution, Huffman confirmed that approximately half of Reddit’s traffic comes from Google and the other half from direct visits, noting that those figures are “approximate, but pretty close.”
Reddit’s relationship with large language model (LLM) developers has been complex. In May 2024, Reddit introduced policies requiring companies to obtain a license for any commercial use of its data.
At the same time, Reddit entered partnerships with OpenAI and Google, allowing them to access Reddit’s data for AI model training and search integration. However, the company has taken legal action against AI firms like Anthropic and Perplexity over unauthorized data usage.
Financially, Reddit reported a strong quarter, earning $585 million in revenue—a 68% year-on-year increase. The platform recorded 116 million daily active unique users and 444 million weekly users, marking 20% and 31% year-on-year growth, respectively.
Huffman highlighted Reddit’s success in international markets, reporting 31% year-over-year growth in daily users outside the U.S. He also noted that over 190 million Americans access Reddit weekly.
The company continues to enhance its search functionality, with 20% of search activity now handled by Reddit’s AI-powered “Answers” feature. In Q3 alone, 75 million users performed searches weekly on the platform.
Huffman revealed that Reddit aims to further integrate AI into its core search experience, with improvements expected to roll out in upcoming quarters.
Finally, Reddit is testing a new onboarding process designed to boost early user engagement. The goal, according to Huffman, is to ensure that newcomers immediately experience the depth and variety of Reddit’s content in their first session.