Reddit CEO Acknowledges Concerns in Data Scraping Lawsuits Against Perplexity and Anthropic
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman indicated today that he understands the perspective of companies facing lawsuits alleging they improperly scraped data from the platform, while reaffirming the company’s duty to protect its data.
During an interview with CNBC, Huffman stated, “Look, we see both sides of this. Of course, I can’t add anything to the legal conversation right now, but our complaints are out there, and I think they’re actually a good read.” He emphasized Reddit’s responsibility to safeguard data “for our business and our users,” but also highlighted existing collaborative relationships with companies like OpenAI and Google. Huffman noted these partnerships have demonstrated the value of Reddit’s data and facilitated ways to improve products for both companies’ customer bases.
The lawsuits against Perplexity and Anthropic allege unauthorized data scraping, a practice that has become increasingly scrutinized as artificial intelligence companies rely on vast datasets for training their models. Reddit has previously entered into data-sharing agreements with both Google, reportedly worth around $60 million, and OpenAI, signaling a willingness to monetize its data through legitimate channels. Huffman also discussed the company’s recent earnings report, noting a 74% year-over-year increase in ad revenue and stating, “From what we can see, the ads market is stable.”
Both Perplexity and Anthropic have denied the allegations made by Reddit. Huffman expressed optimism about “progressing these relationships” and continuing to find mutually beneficial collaborations, suggesting the company is open to resolving the disputes outside of court.
Huffman stated he anticipates continued dialogue with the companies involved as the legal proceedings unfold.
In a Thursday interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman suggested he understands the opposition’s point of view in lawsuits the company has filed against Perplexity and Anthropic, alleging they scraped data from the site without permission.
“Look, we see both sides of this. Of course, I can’t add anything to the legal conversation right now, but our complaints are out there, and I think they’re actually a good read,” Huffman said. “Our duty is to protect, you know, our data for our business and our users, but we also have great relationships in this space, with Google, with OpenAI.”
Huffman said he and partners like Google and OpenAI have realized the value of Reddit’s data and learned the ways they can collaborate to make “our mutual products better for our mutual customers.” He added that he looks forward to “progressing these relationships.”
Both Perplexity and Anthropic have denied the allegations.
Reddit inked data-sharing deals with OpenAI and Google last year, with the Google agreement reportedly worth around $60 million.
Huffman also discussed his company’s recent earnings report — where it beat estimates for earnings and revenue — and emphasized that Reddit managed to grow its ad revenue 74% year-over-year.
“From what we can see, the ads market is stable,” Huffman told Cramer. “We do hear from our customers that, you know, there’s some uncertainty about macros and maybe tariffs, but, as we always do, we do our very best to show up for our customers and deliver them results.”
