Vickey Shashoo’s Post

Reddit - social media site that describes itself as "the front page of the internet" filed for an IPO scheduled in March. Some filling highlights: ·       804 mUSD revenue (+21% yoy) ·       86% gross margin (-17% op margin) ·       73 m DAU (+27% yoy) ·       Avg. revenue per user 12.3 USD DAU per year ·       Data licensing deal with Google Reddit is the place one can find almost everything and one of most iconic posts on Reddit is called “Today You, Tomorrow Me”. Even Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian admitted that it's his favorite Reddit post. User named u/rhoner published the response to an Ask Reddit question: “Have you ever picked up a hitchhiker?” He explained the incident which changed his attitude and he started to help strangers whenever he could.   U/rhoner encountered numerous car troubles at one point in time and was disappointed by the lack of assistance from others (such as bystanders and gas station attendants). In the incident that changed everything, he blew out a car tire, and the only person who stopped to assist him was a Mexican immigrant who had “his whole family of 6 in tow” The Mexican immigrant was probably wage laborer, he nonetheless dedicated four hours of his day to assist in fixing the u/rhoner’s car. U/rhoner discreetly gave the family a $20 bill as an express of appreciation: "But we aren't done yet. I thank them again and walk back to my car and open the foil on the tamale [they gave me] cause I am starving at this point and what do I find inside? My f***g $20 bill! I whirl around and run up to the van and the guy rolls his window down. He sees the $20 in my hand and just shaking his head no like he won't take it. All I can think to say is "Por Favor, Por Favor, Por Favor" with my hands out. Dude just smiles, shakes his head and, with what looked like great concentration, tried his hardest to speak to me in English: "Today you.... tomorrow me." In the 5 months since I have changed a couple of tires, given a few rides to gas stations and, once, went 50 miles out of my way to get a girl to an airport. I won't accept money. Every time I tell them the same thing when we are through: "Today you.... tomorrow me."

Being a tech nerd, of course I hopped on to the #Fediverse. On Mastodon, which is my preferred Fedi platform, I get to literally build my own feed rather than have an algorithm do it for me. So far, I love it as I have total control over my feeds 😆. On top of that I get to keep my "social graph". That said, there are many other options such as Bluesky. Some platforms such as Threads and WordPress.com already connects to the Fediverse. The Fediverse is not mainstream yet, but is this the future of #SocialMedia ? https://lnkd.in/gqRCnmKc

So Reddit thinks it’s the wise wizard of the internet now, blocking all search engines except for Google 🚫. Who knew they held such power? It's like they pulled a "you can't sit with us" move in the digital cafeteria! This change is bound to shake things up in the industry. By effectively putting a leash on how search engines can access its content, Reddit is prioritizing its value by limiting where and how it's seen. It’s a strategic play to protect its data—especially with AI training becoming a hot topic. Now, search engines like Bing and DuckDuckGo are left scrambling, while Google gets the golden ticket at a cool $60 million deal. But here’s the kicker: this could drastically reduce exposure for Reddit's communities. Smaller platforms could struggle to showcase fresh Reddit content, impacting user engagement and the broader ecosystem of information sharing. Will we see a surge in users flocking to Google for their daily Reddit fix? Or is this just Reddit saying, "Thanks, but no thanks," to anyone who isn’t part of the elite club? In my opinion, while this initiative may raise short-term profits for Reddit, it’s a double-edged sword. Isolation can lead to stagnation. Limiting visibility on a global scale might frustrate users, pushing them to alternative forums and platforms. As startups and innovators, we should take note of this transition. Value your data, protect it fiercely, but don’t forget to stay open to the community that helped you grow. What do you think? Will this "exclusive" approach pay off in the long run? 🤔

For the first time in its nearly 20-year history, Reddit is turning a profit. The social platform claimed a profit of $29.9 million, or 16 cents per share, for the period ending in September, and reported sales of $348.4 million, an amount surpassing the $312.8 million analysts had projected. Reddit also grew its number of daily users to 97.2 million, a 47% increase from the same time last year, according to a company statement. In a letter to shareholders, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said its new AI translation feature — which allows readers to convert posts between English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and German — was a primary driver of user growth, especially internationally in countries like France, India and the Philippines. Huffman wrote that Reddit plans to expand this feature to over 30 countries going into 2025. “In 2024 so far, ‘Reddit’ was the sixth most Googled word in the U.S., underscoring that when people are looking for answers, advice, or community, they’re turning to Reddit,” Huffman wrote. “We saw this play out in real-time when the White House came to Reddit to share critical information during recent hurricanes, reaching people in the affected areas with timely updates.” While the company’s advertising remains its main source of revenue, Reddit’s earnings summary notes its recent data licensing agreements are beginning to pay off financially. Both Google and OpenAI have signed deals with Reddit to train their artificial intelligence models on its content. Reddit, whose investors include OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, went public in March at $34 a share. The stock has since tripled, surging 34% to $110.20 in morning trading Wednesday.

💤 Ouch... #longpost but feel free to help me understand better! ⛖ From the intricate workings of cities that Jack Dorsey cites years ago in interview to the transformative power of open-source philosophy, my journey through understanding complex systems has been nothing short of fascinating. Complex environment is something that continue to keep my attention. 🪜This exploration has cemented my belief in the power of collaboration, much like Bernard of Chartres' notion of standing on the shoulders of giants ("Dicebat Bernardus Carnotensis nos esse quasi nanos gigantium humeris insidentes"), rather than just the transparent development process commonly associated with open source. 📟 Open protocols, a cornerstone of what can help us communicate together, play a pivotal role in fostering decentralization, offering a path toward a more equitable and accessible digital landscape. The recent debates around bridging platforms like Bluesky and Mastodon underscore the critical nature of these protocols. As highlighted in this article https://lnkd.in/dPwNGNEG on TechCrunch, the interaction between decentralized social networks could very well dictate the future trajectory of the internet. "Already, the most ardent Mastodon and Bluesky evangelists are finding themselves acting like rival factions in a war for the open web. But as decentralized social networks become more popular, the way that these ecosystems on different protocols interact with one another could set the stage for the next era of the internet." 🧠 These conversations reveal a deeper truth: the interplay between human communication and technology is not just about connectivity; it's about how we build and understand our societies. 🤹🏼 Amidst the enthusiasm for decentralization, the emergence of rivalries over collaboration points to an underlying challenge – the need for a balance between open innovation and cohesive community building. The financial motivations driving some stakeholders add another layer of complexity to this dynamic. This evolving landscape ignites my curiosity to delve deeper into how technological advancements shape our interactions and, by extension, our societies. 🛄 The journey through understanding complex systems, open-source philosophy, and the potential of decentralized networks offers invaluable insights into the future of digital communication and community building. #opensource #socialnetwork #notonlyAI #digitalcommunication #decentralized #communities #politics #fediverse

Reddit has formally submitted documents for an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, after years of rumors. Some longtime users will also be able to participate by purchasing shares from the company, which intends to use RDDT as its ticker symbol. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman stated that many regular users already have a "deep sense of ownership" over their communities on the platform in a note included in the company's S-1 filing with the SEC. He added, "We want our users to be our owners—for this sense of ownership to be reflected in real ownership." In light of this, we are thrilled to extend an invitation to Reddit contributors, including users and moderators, to purchase shares in our initial public offering (IPO) alongside our investors. The company didn’t say how many users might be able to participate, but said that eligible users would be determined based on their karma scores while “moderator contributions will be measured by membership and moderator actions.” The filing also offers up new details about the inner workings of Reddit’s business. The company had 500 million visitors during the month of December and has recently averaged just over 73 million “daily active unique” visitors. In 2023, the company brought in $804 million in revenue (Reddit has yet to turn a profit). The document also notes that the company is “exploring” deals with AI companies to license its content as it looks to expand its revenue in the future. Earlier in the day, Reddit and Google announced that they had struck such a deal, reportedly valued at around $60 million a year. “We believe our growing platform data will be a key element in the training of leading large language models (“LLMs”) and serve as an additional monetization channel for Reddit,” the company writes.

‘It has been a real pain in the ass to block these companies.’ Reddit CEO said Microsoft, Anthropic and Perplexity need to pay to search the site. Does this make sense? I like Reddit as a searchable database. A lot of the time I'll just type in google "Reddit <the problem I'm having>". Google's own search bar seems to perform better than Reddit's. I like it because the search results are presented in text format with little to no ads (unlike those SEO optimized trash sites with an ad everywhere my mouse cursor is) plus Reddit users can upvote comments that they consider to be high value. Therefore Reddit's user comments can be a valuable source of data and Reddit doesn't want to just give it freely to search engines even though it's freely accessible (with or without an account). I understand why their CEO wants to block search engines who haven't paid the toll fee; Reddit had their IPO recently, has a valuation of 10 BILLION dollars, but doesn't even make a profit (yet). They need cash flow. https://lnkd.in/gaDCvdsK

Over the weekend, I started a new community on Reddit, Inc. called ai_for_that. This is a space for those who believe that AI and tech can solve specific problems. If you've spotted a problem that could use a tech solution but don’t have the time or resources to tackle it yourself, post it here! Share the issues you think tech could help fix, and let the community brainstorm solutions. Imagine this: you spot a problem, but you don’t have the time or resources to dive in and solve it yourself. Why not toss it into the mix here and let others take a shot at it? That’s the whole concept behind ai_for_that. Why Reddit? People are constantly worried about what their coworkers or network might think about their posts on LinkedIn and Meta. Reddit, on the other hand, is the ultimate safe, judgment-free zone where people post like no one’s watching because no one knows who is behind the ninja_007, MacOS_1961 or AdTechGod. 😁 "Some ideas might have serious potential! If your concept seems like a breakthrough, consider reaching out directly to developers to protect your intellectual property. Remember, this is all about collaboration and inspiration: not ownership." NOTE: This is just a hobby for me. I’m not in it for the money, fame, or a career change! I’m just hoping a few good folks will join in, because, let’s be honest, we’ve got more problems than solutions these days. So, feel free to drop by, contribute, and let’s see if we can make the world a little less problematic, one idea at a time. 💡 💪 Here is the link: https://lnkd.in/gEmSGcur

🚀 The Reddit Revolution: Unveiling Google's Biased Bonanza! 🚀 🔍 In a world where information is king, Google reigns supreme as the gatekeeper of knowledge. But what if I told you that the kingdom isn't as fair and just as it seems? Enter the Reddit revolution, where bias meets profit in an epic showdown for online supremacy! 💡 The Rise of Reddit: 💡 🌐 Welcome to the front page of the internet, where Reddit rules with unparalleled freedom and diversity. From quirky hobbies to global news, Reddit's platform empowers users to share, discuss, and debate like never before. But what's the secret to its success? 🔍 The Google Dilemma: 🔍 💻 Google's search algorithm claims to prioritize Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust (EEAT) in its rankings. Sounds great in theory, right? Yet, in practice, Reddit consistently outranks established sources, even on critical topics like finance and healthcare. Talk about a credibility crisis! 💰 The Profitable Paradox: 💰 📈 As Google's bias inadvertently propels Reddit to the top, a gold rush ensues. Advertisers clamor to reach Reddit's engaged audience, turning biased search results into a profitable paradox. Who would've thought that a platform where anyone can contribute would become a digital goldmine? The Call to Action: 🔔 🔍 As consumers, let's wield our power wisely. Question the sources, fact-check relentlessly, and beware of platforms where popularity trumps expertise. And for businesses and marketers, it's time to pivot our strategies, acknowledging the changing tides of online authority. 🌟 Conclusion: 🌟 🛡️ The Reddit revolution isn't just a clash of corporate titans; it's a wake-up call about the influence of technology on our perceptions and decisions. In a world where knowledge is king, let's remember that true wisdom lies not in popularity, but in credibility. Are you ready to join the revolution? 🚀🔍 #RedditRevolution #GoogleBias #DigitalInsights

Ever wondered why Reddit is appearing more frequently at the top of Google search results recently? Well, Reddit has inked a content licensing deal with Google that allows the latter to utilize Reddit's vast repository of discussions and user-generated content to train its AI models. The question is, did Reddit get favorable search engine rankings because or partially due to this deal? Or is it because of something else? We may never know the answer. But what we do know is that the number of Reddit pages that are indexed by Google jumped from 22M to 41.1M URLs after this deal. Click here to read the official announcement from Google: https://lnkd.in/daFwHCEZ