Major site redesign begins

During 2017, Reddit began work on the most significant overhaul of its website since subreddits were introduced in 2008. CEO Steve Huffman hinted at a complete desktop rewrite in a post on January 25, 2017, and over the following year the company built a redesigned Reddit.com intended to be more visually modern, easier for new users to navigate, and simpler for engineers to maintain and extend. Huffman acknowledged the existing interface turned off many newcomers, memorably describing the old site as resembling a 'dystopian Craigslist.'

The redesign was a core justification for the $200 million Huffman raised in mid-2017, alongside investment in user-uploaded video. The effort aimed to make Reddit more competitive with mainstream social platforms while preserving the community-driven structure long-time users valued — a balance that proved contentious, as many veteran Redditors disliked the new look and the company committed to keeping the classic 'old Reddit' available. The project culminated in the public rollout of the new design in April 2018.