Reddit has halted its initiatives for paid subreddits. CEO Steve Huffman revealed during the Q2 earnings call that the company is shifting away from efforts to monetize the user economy, as reported by Engadget. In an AMA, Huffman reaffirmed that this includes paid subreddits, indicating that resources are being redirected from areas like the user economy to prioritize core objectives. Earlier, Huffman had indicated plans for subreddits featuring exclusive content behind a paywall as a means of generating revenue. Currently, Reddit’s focus is on enhancing its core product, aiming to establish itself as a key destination for search, which is vital for increasing ad revenue. In the last quarter, ad revenue hit $465 million, marking an 84% rise from the previous year. Reddit posts have been surfacing more often in search results, likely due to a Google algorithm update that favors discussion forums. Moreover, Huffman highlighted the emphasis on improving Reddit’s search capabilities through its AI-generated Reddit Answers tool, which utilizes Google’s Gemini model. This collaboration also allows Google to refine its AI using Reddit content.