Reddit makes major change to powerful mods amid r/Art drama

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Reddit is limiting how many popular communities moderators can manage, following recent issues with the r/Art subreddit where one moderator caused disruption.

Late in November, a disagreement on the r/Art subreddit caused major disruption. It started when one moderator banned artist Hayden Clay for sharing information about prints of his work. This led to protests from other users, and ultimately, one moderator took control by removing all the other moderators.

The Art subreddit is back online with a new team of moderators. They’re working to reinstate Clay and others who they believe were unfairly banned.

As a Reddit user, it’s frustrating to hear that the admins had to unlock the subreddit, and now they’re planning to limit what moderators can do if they manage a lot of different communities. It feels like a big change is coming for how things are run.

Reddit clamping down on number of subreddits that mods can run

On December 3rd, Reddit’s CEO, Steve Huffman, told users that the platform will be limiting how many popular communities (subreddits) moderators can manage with a single account.

As a Reddit user, I’ve always loved how each community feels different and has its own vibe. Reddit really lets those communities set their own rules, beyond the main site rules, and grow how they see fit. But it’s been clear that having one person moderate tons of huge communities isn’t working – it’s just not sustainable. So, Reddit is making some changes to address that and make sure each community has the leadership it needs.

We’re putting a limit on how many popular communities one person can manage. This is a big change and requires careful consideration, so we’re taking our time with it.

Beyond the Front Page of the Internet
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This change was first announced in September, but only on a small Reddit forum, so most users didn’t see it.

The post explained that they’re limiting moderators to a maximum of 5 communities with more than 100,000 members. These changes will begin in January, and some current moderators will have the option to transition into advisory roles or be recognized for their contributions.

Starting in March, Reddit moderators who manage more than five subreddits will begin losing their moderation privileges. The communities where they are least engaged will be the first to have those privileges removed.

Reddit is getting rid of the r/Popular feed because its CEO, Steve Huffman, believes it isn’t very good. They plan to replace it with feeds that are more tailored to each user’s interests.

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2025-12-04 13:19