Someone pointed this out on Twitter - it looks like StackOverflow recently updated their robots.txt file to explicitly disallow all crawlers. Obviously, this won't stop those that don't respect robots.txt, but I found this decision strange. Not even Google or Bing's crawlers (which respect robots.txt) will be able to crawl StackOverflow, which could be the final nail in the coffin for SO, since (presumably) most StackOverflow traffic comes from search engines.
I never claimed Stack Exchange should’ve pioneered LLMs. But it’s not merely a web forum company—just as Google isn’t just a search company. Stack Exchange is a 15-year-old tech firm that has stagnated. Innovation has been virtually nonexistent; their idea of progress has long been superficial UI tweaks on a legacy platform.
Even now, Stack Exchange resists adaptation. This very post highlights their `robots.txt` policy, which actively blocks crawlers—a clear signal of protectionism over transparency. They market themselves as community-driven, but the reality is far more corporate and insular.
Stack Overflow’s situation is telling: while search traffic is down a modest –5% to –14% (per their own data), engagement metrics are in freefall. Weekly posts have dropped 16%; monthly questions are down as much as 66% from their peak. That’s not a dip—it’s systemic decay.