Thousands Of Redditors React As Reddit Boss Declares r/popular 'Sucks' And Axes It

Reddit is drawing ire and shock this week after its CEO publicly condemned the old default feed r/popular, saying it 'sucks' and announced that the feed will soon disappear for new and inactive users. The decision, unveiled on 3 December 2025, is a giant change in how Reddit will surface content to its users and has generated thousands of reactions across the site.

Thousands of Redditors took to community forums to express disappointment, anger or cautious optimism as the platform reportedly moves away from a single 'front page of the internet.'

Why r/popular is Being Shut

This is because for many years, r/popular served as Reddit's default for newcomers and logged-out visitors, a catch-all feed combining hot posts from across the platform. Moreover, in his statement, Reddit's CEO, Steve Huffman (also known as 'Spez'), called the feed outdated and unrepresentative.

As per him, while r/popular in theory showed 'what's most popular on Reddit,' in practice it amplified content from the most active users, unfairly skewing visibility and giving a false impression of a monolithic 'Reddit culture.'

Furthermore, Huffman argued, that exact situation no longer fits Reddit's vision. The platform now wants to deliver 'better, more relevant and personalised feeds' tailored to each user's unique and actual interests. The change is rolling out immediately, and reportedly, new users will no longer see r/popular by default, and existing users who do not actively engage with it may lose access to the app's main feed options.

This massive change shows the new age of Reddit. The company, according to a Times of India report, is rethinking how content is surfaced, investing more in search and discovery tools, and signalling a future in which the notion of a single, universal front page belongs to the past.

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Redditor Reactions to the Death of r/popular

Unsurprisingly, the announcement provoked a strong response from Reddit's user base. On subreddits like r/technology, r/unpopularopinion and r/ask, many long-time users voiced dismay and even outrage at the demise of r/popular.

One user wrote bluntly:

'Every time I accidentally swipe over to popular or latest on mobile, I swipe back to home so fast. It doesn't even feel like the same app.'

Another comment very comprehensively showed the flaws of the popular feed on Reddit.

'The Popular feed contains mostly the four same things: 1. People complaining about their financial situation. I get it, the economy sucks more and more each day, but I don't want to hear about it constantly and I definitely don't want to hear some 30 year old bitching about how many billionaires there are. I've heard it a thousand times.

2. People getting revenge. r/JusticeServed, r/MurderedByWorda, etc... all posts meant to get your blood boiling. I don't think that's a healthy emotion at all to feel every time you open an app.

3. Political news. Again, just more posts meant to trigger an emotional response. It's good to stay informed, but 99% of Reddit's political posts are just tribalistic echo chambers that don't actually foster a healthy discussion.

4. The same recycled reposts I've seen a thousand times before.'

Moreover, criticisms often described r/popular as dominated by loud voices and trending topics, which were frequently political or sensational at the expense of smaller, niche communities. Some users said the feed had become a place for brigading, where less-active subreddits were buried under waves of upvotes and downvotes rather than being discovered organically.

Others saw the decision as symptomatic of a bigger decline:

'I've been here long enough to remember when Reddit felt weird, alive, and community-first. The last few years? It's been a steady strip-mining of everything that gave the place personality only to be replaced with "safe for advertisers" sameness and short-term monetization plays. At this point, it doesn't feel like if Reddit declines, but when. The cuts that hollowed it out.'

Nevertheless, not all reactions were adverse. Some members welcomed the prospect of a more personalised feed, arguing that r/popular often homogenised Reddit and drowned out diverse voices. The very idea of 'one Reddit for all' felt outdated in a platform now spanning millions of users and countless interests.