It truly was a dumpster fire. A part of me did wish he would backtrack but he just doubled down.
It's telling that they're not even willing to work with the third-party Reddit apps. They could be true money makers for Reddit, or at the least, a way to minimize Reddit's losses.
Also, doubling down and deciding that the subreddits that will be going dark in protest mean nothing. He's said as much in the past that the moderators are expendable, though, so it would not be a surprise if Reddit administration or spez personally decides to usurp those mod teams.
so it would not be a surprise if Reddit administration or spez personally decides to usurp those mod teams.
There was some comment about "we'll do whatever's necessary to keep reddit online" so I think the implication there is that if high-traffic subs went dark for an extended period then he'd evict the mods and replace them with his yes men.
Personally I think the subs should go dark for 3 days each & every month. You can still run a successful community with those restrictions but it's a pretty visible signal to investors that hey your userbase hates you and is itching for the opportunity to leave your sorry ass.