How to Deal With a Boycott (Insider Comms From Reddit)

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What would you say to employees if suddenly your company faced a backlash from consumers?

This week about 10% of subreddits—forums on the mega-popular Reddit social platform—went dark to protest Reddit’s move to increase API prices for third-party apps.

• The substance of the policy and backlash is a bit weedy, but suffice it to say that a business decision to generate revenue upset a very user-friendly fanbase.

• The price increase was announced in April and goes into effect on July 1.

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman sent a memo to all employees last week addressing the boycott, which he says will blow over. (He addresses the team as “Snoos”—Reddit’s mascot is called Snoo.)

• Huffman’s first paragraph gets right to the heart of the matter—no fluff or fill—closing with a “thank you” at the top.

• Notable in this memo is Huffman’s caution against wearing Reddit swag in public, saying the logos could make employees the target of Redditors’ frustration. This paragraph alone should serve as a checklist item for all consumer companies facing a vocal and volatile backlash.

Compare the Reddit response to three other memos to employees about products and services that upset a significant number of consumers:

• When Your Customers Don’t Share Your Politics (Target and Pride) ($)

• Apple Email About Controversial Feature ($)

• Spotify CEO’s Internal Memo on Joe Rogan ($)

Here’s Huffman’s memo: