[plorntus]

Reddit used to show how much users donated vs the server cost (and running costs). It was always maxed out. Reddit grew and simply got greedy. Typical enterprise company woes where a much smaller company could cover most if not all what your typical user actually wants without losing money.

Reddit didn't need to be a video and image host as you allude to. They didn't need to bloat their stack with 'hot' technology. They didn't need to even make an app, the third parties were basically doing that for free.

They want to be an ad and data platform because they know that this will in the long run net them more money. To get there though they will have to alienate their entire user base.