On Thursday, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman instructed me that the developer of rif is enjoyable for Reddit (RIF), a well-liked third-party Reddit app for Android, didn’t wish to work with Reddit on the corporate’s deliberate API pricing modifications. Nonetheless, the developer, Andrew Shu, tells me that’s not the case — and shared emails with The Verge that seem to again him up.
Throughout the interview, I requested Huffman if Reddit might give builders extra time to implement the API modifications, which Shu has already stated are forcing him to close down RIF at the end of the month. Right here’s precisely what Huffman said in response (emphasis mine):
I stated we’re working with all people who’s keen to work with us, which incorporates most of the different third social gathering apps. The three you talked about stated they don’t wish to work with us and so they’re shutting down. I didn’t inform them to do this.
We’ve got had many conversations — properly, not with RIF, he by no means wished to speak to us — however with the others, we have been having such conversations, and we’ll work with the others. A deadline is essential, in any other case this stuff simply linger and linger and linger.
Nonetheless, based mostly on emails we’ve seen, it was clear that the 2 sides did really speak.
The dialog didn’t begin properly, as Reddit apparently had some bother getting in contact with Shu. On April twenty fifth, Reddit stated that it had “made repeated makes an attempt to contact you utilizing all strategies of contact” in an e mail with the topic line “URGENT: Quick Compliance with Reddit API Phrases Required — 48 Hour Response Deadline.” Shu responded, and he and Reddit despatched a couple of emails backwards and forwards about scheduling a name.
On Could 1st, Reddit adopted up from the decision to recap the dialogue, which included notes that advertisements in apps wouldn’t be allowed starting June nineteenth — successfully killing RIF’s enterprise mannequin and giving Shu little time to pivot to a brand new one.
A couple of hours later, Shu replied to push again on the proposed modifications.
To begin with, the defective reasoning given by Reddit as to why they’ve deliberate the modifications doesn’t instill confidence in these modifications, nor any future modifications Reddit might need to implement, assuming our partnership continues.
Furthermore, I’m disillusioned by the unilaterally demanding angle displayed by Reddit up to now on this total dialog. If Reddit is critical a few lasting partnership, it should be a respectful and productive one with enter from either side carrying weight.
An e mail out of the blue with accusations of “violation” and “breach of phrases”—that are false because the phrases haven’t taken impact but—shouldn’t be a good way to begin a partnership based mostly on mutual respect.
Shu presents that the 2 sides ought to begin over and says the next: “I’m keen to work with Reddit. I can envision a ‘win-win-win’ answer being potential: a win for Reddit, for builders together with myself, and most significantly, our customers.”
On Could thirtieth, Reddit reached out once more to supply a follow-up name with “some updates.” A day later — the identical day Apollo developer Christian Selig went public with his expected $20 million per year costs for the app — Shu replied, “given the data is public, I don’t see a cellphone name being productive. Please let me know when there’s any new data to share that hasn’t been made public.” Reddit stated it’s “standing by to debate when you change your thoughts.” Reddit adopted up once more on June seventh.
The corporate declined to remark.
“I can envision a ‘win-win-win’ answer being potential”
Thursday’s interview shouldn’t be the one time Huffman has allegedly taken an aggressive stance toward third-party developers. In his announcement that he would be shutting down Apollo, Selig claimed that Huffman instructed Reddit mods that Selig “threatened” the corporate. Selig launched the audio and a transcript from his dialog with a Reddit worker that confirmed that whereas the worker initially interpreted Selig’s feedback as a menace, they cleared up the matter and agreed that menace was a misinterpretation.
Regardless, Huffman hasn’t been happy with Selig. “[Selig’s] ‘joke’ is the least of our points,” Huffman wrote in his AMA on June 9th. “His habits and communications with us has been in every single place — saying one factor to us whereas saying one thing utterly completely different externally; recording and leaking a personal cellphone name — to the purpose the place I don’t understand how we might do enterprise with him.” In a reply, Selig requested Huffman to “please be happy to provide examples the place I stated one thing otherwise in public versus what I stated to you,” which Huffman didn’t reply to.
Each Shu and Selig consider that paying for API use, which has beforehand been free, is a good request. “Paying for the API is an inexpensive ask, so long as the pricing is affordable,” Shu wrote in his Could 1st e mail. “I agree that long-term Reddit footing the invoice for third-party apps shouldn’t be tenable, and with a paid association there’s an important chance for growing a extra concrete relationship with Reddit, with higher API help for customers,” Selig wrote in his announcement that he’ll be shutting down the app. However they take problem with the pricing — Shu stated on Reddit that RIF’s costs could be in “the identical ballpark” as Selig’s anticipated $20 million per year — and the corporate’s rollout of the modifications.
Shu additionally tells me that RIF was paying a “sizable income share” to Reddit starting in 2012, which was throughout Yishan Wong’s tenure as CEO. Shu says he says initiated the talks with Reddit to create the settlement, which allowed for the licensed use of Reddit’s logos. (On the time, the app was known as “reddit is enjoyable.”) Shu says Reddit terminated the settlement in 2016 — which was the 12 months after Huffman took over as CEO.