-8 upvotes, 2 direct replies (showing 2)
View submission: Sunsetting Secret Santa and Reddit Gifts
So, I’m not trying to r/hailcorporate on this, but... yeah. That’s literally how a business works.
People have built community on Reddit but Reddit itself is not the community. Reddit is a for-profit corporation beholden to a board and investors paying salaries and server costs and taxes and leases.
I always have a hard time getting why every time Reddit does something that is clearly and patently designed to make them more money, the user base goes absolutely bananas as if Reddit has somehow started a new department dedicated to kicking puppies.
You know those huge donations big corporations make to charities? It’s so they can pay less taxes. You know those awareness campaigns Coke does about how their bottles are recycled? It’s so you see a Coke bottle and want to buy a Coke. Almost no for-profit company makes decisions that are legitimately and entirely self-sacrificial. If that was the case, you’d never hear about them. The fact that you know Costco pays their employees really well is because A. they need to hire folks and it costs more to train new employees all the time than just keep them around and B. it makes you more likely to shop there because you think them ethical, so they want you to know that.
I have stuff in my house right now I got from secret Santa. Does it suck that it’s going away? Sure. But why would anyone be surprised?
Comment by hermeown at 10/06/2021 at 19:55 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
People have built community on Reddit but Reddit itself is not the community. Reddit is a for-profit corporation beholden to a board and investors paying salaries and server costs and taxes and leases.
Reddit IS community. Its brand literally relies on it. On their company website: "Reddit is home to thousands of communities, endless conversation, and authentic human connection. Whether you're into breaking news, sports, TV fan theories, or a never-ending stream of the internet's cutest animals, there's a community on Reddit for you."
People have countless other apps and websites where they can consume media, but Reddit stands out BECAUSE of its community and the sub-communities within it.
It is NOT a single consumable product (soda) or a company that provides necessary consumable goods and services (Costco). Reddit does not exist without the community engagement surrounding its user-generated content.
Secret Santa/Reddit Gifts is one of the most special unique sub-communities on this website. It attracted celebrities, won several World Records, and it brought joy to countless people all over the world. Corporate-wise, it demonstrably upped the overall value of the company.
Shutting it down goes against its own mission statement. If they value community as much as they say they do, it would make more business sense to give it back to the community to run independently and keep the space open. It makes better business sense, keeps the community happy, and is overall just a better look.
Comment by Eggplantosaur at 10/06/2021 at 07:41 UTC
5 upvotes, 1 direct replies
You're hailing corporate