Reddit CEO Says Google's AI Mode 'Does Not Drive Traffic'

What did Reddit's CEO say about Google's AI Mode?

Speaking on Reddit's Q3 2026 earnings call, CEO Steve Huffman told investors that Google's AI-powered search tools no longer send users to outside websites, according to The Verge. "The reality is, AI Mode does not drive traffic," Huffman said. "Not for us, and not to anybody, as far as I know. That's just a fundamental shift in how Google works. It used to be a traffic driver, now it's not."

His comment echoes complaints from other publishers whose referral traffic has declined as Google answers more queries directly on the results page rather than linking out.

How much search traffic has Reddit lost?

Reddit disclosed in its Q3 2026 earnings materials that search-referral traffic in October dropped by more than 1 million referrals on average per week, per The Verge's reporting. Huffman attributed part of that decline to how AI Mode and AI Overviews have changed the structure of the search results page itself, pushing links further down regardless of ranking.

By the numbers

• More than 1 million: average weekly drop in search referrals to Reddit in October 2026
• Q3 2026: the earnings period in which Huffman disclosed the figures

Why does Huffman say AI Mode doesn't drive traffic?

Huffman said AI Overviews and AI Mode have "evolved a lot" since their introduction and now, at a minimum, push "everyone down the search page" — meaning even sites that rank well see fewer clicks because an AI-generated summary occupies the space users used to scroll past to reach links.

"The reality is, AI Mode does not drive traffic. Not for us, and not to anybody, as far as I know." — Steve Huffman, Reddit CEO

Is Reddit still visible in Google search results?

Despite the referral decline, Huffman said Reddit remains a "top search term in Google." He cautioned that visibility in search doesn't translate directly into site traffic under the current AI-driven format, separating the question of consumer demand for Reddit's content from the mechanics of how Google now surfaces it.

What else is affecting Reddit's traffic outside the US?

Huffman also said Reddit believes its content that has been machine-translated into other languages is being ranked lower in Google search results, a dynamic he said would primarily affect the company's traffic outside the United States rather than its core US audience.

How has this story developed?

• Oct. 29, 2026: Reddit reports Q3 2026 earnings; Huffman tells investors AI Mode does not drive traffic and discloses the weekly referral decline, The Verge reports.
• Ongoing: Reddit says it is examining why machine-translated content ranks lower internationally, with effects concentrated outside the US.

The disclosures add Reddit to a list of publishers and platforms that have said Google's shift toward AI-generated answers is reshaping — and in some cases reducing — the traffic benefit that used to come from ranking well in search.