[Algent]

I wouldn't be surprised if so many big subreddits being dark is causing issues around denied API calls.

As for the forced reopening, beside the conspiracy this is something that could happen. It's a private company, moderator on strike are a loss of business, they would be 100% in their right to remove all the "traitors" (I'm not saying this would be a smart move, simply that if they really plan to go down this self destructive path it's the best time to do this and prove potential investor they still have control).

[brightlancer]

> It's a private company, moderator on strike are a loss of business, they would be 100% in their right to

Legally, of course. Morally, it is completely unacceptable. This isn't "oh they're jerks"; this is "the system is broken".

A meatspace analogy:

You host a weekly gathering at a restaurant. You decide to temporarily boycott the restaurant to protest some behavior of theirs -- your actions are a loss of business, _so the restaurant decides to host your weekly gathering without you_.

We'd never accept that in the real world, but for some reason we do online -- we fall back to the legal argument that It's A Private Business (which is true) and completely ignore that Reddit doesn't own the community, that the community doesn't _belong_ to Reddit. They own the platform (the restaurant); they don't own the community.

[Algent]

Oh I completely agree this would be the most stupid thing they could do. I wrote it because this is something I can picture happening at some point (I do expect the protest to multiply), you say they don't own the community but I'm pretty sure they think they can control it.

[abluecloud]

where the hell are they going to fine thousands of willing users to become mods of thousands of communities, overnight?

[brightlancer]

I think there are millions of folks on Reddit who would jump at the chance to be a petty dictator of a subreddit.

[Deestan]

That's easy.

Less if you add "competent" to the qualifications list :)