Summary
- Elon Musk directly messaged Reddit CEO Steve Huffman after posts on r/WhitePeopleTwitter threatened employees of DOGE.
- The subreddit was banned for 72-hours almost immediately after, and the offending posts were purged from the platform along with hundreds of posts simply critical of Musk.
- Moderators are divided on the move and question how much influence Musk has over the platform.
Elon Musk’s public spat with Reddit earlier this year wasn’t just the normal noise on X. It also included private messages behind the scenes, resulting in subreddit bans.
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A new report claims Musk personally messaged Reddit CEO Steve Huffman after users on the platform called out his behavior and blocked links to X (via The Verge). That direct line appears to have led directly to Reddit’s moderation decisions shortly after. We previously reported on the 72-hour ban of r/WhitePeopleTwitter after threats of violence towards employees of Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk messaged Reddit’s CEO, and Reddit acted
It all started in January when Musk gave what many considered to be two Nazi salutes in a row following President Donald Trump’s inauguration. More than 100 subreddits banned posts from Elon Musk’s social platform X (formerly Twitter). Musk began making posts criticizing Reddit, calling it “insane.” Then he escalated it by accusing Reddit users of breaking the law for posts threatening DOGE employees.
Behind the scenes, he had also reached out to Huffman via private messages. The sources familiar with the exchange didn’t specify what exactly what said between the two, but less than a day later Reddit imposed a 72-hour ban on r/WhitePeopleTwitter. It cited a “prevalence of violent content” as the reason. The specific posts Musk had flagged were removed, but so were hundreds of other non-violent comments that were simply critical of Musk and DOGE.
Reddit provided a general statement to The Verge when asked about the direct communication between Musk and Huffman. “We take any report of Reddit policy violations seriously,” the statement read. “Whether on Reddit directly or through other public or private means.” Musk did not respond to requests for comment.
Moderators react to Musk’s influence
Many Reddit moderators discussed the CEO-to-CEO messaging on Discord, with many calling it overreach. However, many also acknowledged that Reddit did the right thing by removing violent content.
There’s a complex and murky relationship between tech leaders and their platform’s users. Reddit claims neutrality in how it handles reports, but Musk’s ability to get a reaction by reaching out directly to its CEO certainly raises some questions about undue influence. At the very least, it suggests that private relationships at the top of the pyramid carry more weight than Reddit wants to admit.
