"Reddit CEO faces backlash over moderator controversy and user discontent"

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has criticized the unpaid volunteer moderators leading the blackout of the site, comparing them to wealthy land barons. The blackout began in response to Reddit's plans to charge money for third-party apps to gain access to its data. Huffman has downplayed concerns about the protest action, saying the blackout "will pass" like "all blowups on Reddit." The group of Reddit moderators organizing the blackout has said that more than 300 subreddits "have already announced that they are in it for the long haul, prepared to remain private or otherwise inaccessible indefinitely until Reddit provides an adequate solution."