[II2II]

Realistically, these changes won't affect me directly. I pop onto Reddit a handful of times per month to view a local group. For that the website suffices (even though it is horrible on mobile).

I will probably be indirectly affected by any migration of people who do care, people like the mods who keep that local group sane. Why should they continue donating their time to a corporation who is actively making their life harder? Why would I want to visit a forum where that is full of crud because noone care to moderate it? Why would I want to visit a forum that lacks insightful gems because the people who care to post those gems have moved on because they don't want to deal with the crud either.

Realistically speaking, the API thing is unlikely to alter my use of Reddit. Reddit probably wouldn't care if it did anyway since I'm unlikely to be in their target audience. That said, potential changes in the atmosphere of Reddit are very likely to alter my use of Reddit. I've also been on the Internet long enough to see platforms rise then fall from grace, so I view it as a real possibility. (Albeit, I also realize that the fall takes much longer than many would have us believe.)