Reddit CPO Discusses Exciting New Features: Enhanced Translations, Improved Moderation, and Developer Tools

It’s an exciting year for Reddit as it navigates the landscape post-IPO. The platform is gearing up to introduce a variety of innovative product features—most of which are fueled by artificial intelligence. “The IPO represented a significant milestone, but our primary focus remains on enhancing the user experience,” said Reddit's Chief Product Officer, Pali Bhat.

Reddit's upcoming product roadmap features improved loading speeds, enhanced tools for moderators and developers, and a cutting-edge, AI-driven language translation option aimed at broadening Reddit's global reach. “We're leveraging LLMs in a groundbreaking way, allowing for more nuanced translations than ever before,” Bhat explained. “For example, if you’re in France, you’ll be able to browse Reddit in French, even if the majority of users in that subreddit post in English.”

This capability means that if a user shares a post in French, an English-speaking Redditor can understand and respond in English, and the French speaker will receive the reply in their language, enabling seamless communication. “Traditionally, Reddit has been an English-centric platform, prioritizing users in the U.S., the U.K., and Mexico,” Bhat noted. “Now, we’re experiencing rapid global growth, attracting a significant number of users from around the world.”

For investors, this expansion is promising news. Supporting this optimism, Reddit's IPO filing revealed that by December 2023, 50% of the platform's daily active unique users came from outside the United States.

AI is also fundamental to improvements in the moderator experience. Reddit has recently implemented keyword highlighting that assists moderators in identifying potentially problematic content within their subreddits. Additionally, the platform is introducing tools to manage the influx of new users, including a large language model (LLM) specifically trained on moderators' past decisions.

Last year, Reddit faced significant user protests due to changes in its API pricing model, which threatened the viability of popular third-party apps. While the backlash has lessened, Reddit is now actively encouraging developers to construct applications directly on the platform without a fee—though Bhat suggests this policy could evolve in the future.

The developer platform's products can be found on the r/WallStreetBets subreddit, featuring a live dashboard that tracks trending stocks and comments. Interestingly, one of the most well-received Super Bowl scoreboards originated from r/TaylorSwift—an unexpected success story.

“What’s truly remarkable is that it’s unlocking experiences we never anticipated,” Bhat shared. “That’s an exciting development, and it’s all built upon our API.”

Reddit's IPO might pave the way for the next viral meme stock, according to community speculation.