Closed APIs cost more than you’d expect

On July 1, the popular discussion website Reddit took a ruinous step: Its application programming interface (API) — the tool that gives developers access to its rich store of data as they build and train applications — ceased providing free, open access. Going forward, it will be closed and, for some developers, too expensive to access.

The Reddit community has been rocked by ongoing protests against this move, which Reddit CEO Steve Huffman billed as a business decision designed to force profit-making companies that feed off Reddit data to fund the API.

Here’s the truth, though: When a social platform powered to prominence on the back of its community shuts the gate on its API, it imperils the future of more than the development community that grew up under its protection.

Not only do centralized, seemingly arbitrary moves like these alienate users, but they also risk choking off the innovative spirit and creative energy that fuel the early success, engagement and esprit de corps of most successful social platforms.

Betray your community, endanger your future

Despite the protests, Reddit’s Huffman has persisted in arguing that Reddit is “a living organism, this democratic living organism, created by its users.” To Reddit developers and users, changing the rules constitutes a betrayal of that promise.

The biggest indictment of Reddit’s and Twitter’s product chops is the user love for third party apps

The entire API saga both companies went through was an embarrassing show of incompetence of wasting opportunity to create a nice app over a decade and with limitless funding https://t.co/1NVe3KqYLx

— Sar Haribhakti (@sarthakgh) July 5, 2023

The betrayal is all the more stinging given that many suspect Hufffman’s real motive is to fatten Reddit’s bottom line and craft a narrative of future revenue streams ahead of this year’s expected initial public offering of shares. Twitter made a similar move before its IPO. Facebook’s Open Graph, a launchpad for breakout companies like Zynga and Spotify, was also replaced by a walled garden.

Users’ expressions of displeasure have ranged from a mid-month 48-hour blackout by nearly 9,000 forums — or subreddits — to flooding the platform with John Oliver posts. At best, these are disruptive. At worst, they are causing lasting harm.

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