, which was planned by Reddit users to protest API pricing changes, Huffman said that the company"needs to be a self-sustaining business, and to do that, we can no longer subsidize commercial entities that require large-scale data use."
Huffman told The Verge that it costs Reddit"about $10 million in pure infrastructure costs" to support third-party apps by keeping its API free. Additionally, he emphasized that apps like Apollo and RIF, another popular third-party app that gives users access to Reddit, aren't"side projects or charities." No other tech company allows"these sort of competitive products to exist," he told The Verge.
Apollo's Selig did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment regarding the"millions" Huffman claims he has made. But when reached The Verge reached out to him for comment, he did not deny the claim."Regarding the 'millions,' word the CEO publicly threw out, I will say RIF earns under a million per year,"Andrew Shu, RIF's developer, told Insider over email.
"I wish it earned more! But instead, I have frequently rejected intrusive revenue generation methods, like intrusive video ads etc., in favor of a lightweight and user-respecting app experience," he added.