Reddit says Google’s AI search features are reducing traffic referrals

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman says Google’s AI search features are not driving traffic to Reddit as they once did.

Reddit said during its Q3 2026 earnings call that search referrals in October fell by more than 1 million per week on average.

Huffman said AI Overviews and AI Mode push websites lower on Google’s search page, while Reddit believes translated posts may also rank lower.

He said people still want Reddit, but Google is sending fewer of them to the platform.

Reddit is trying to become a place people visit directly, with a new For You feed and a test that turns posts into short videos.

The company also said it will require everyone to log in, which Huffman said could support user experience, advertising, safety and data protection.