Reddit’s stock saw an impressive increase of nearly 50% on its first day of trading, marking a significant milestone for the social media platform. However, amidst this surge, Reddit users faced connectivity issues, with thousands reporting problems accessing the site on DownDetector. The problems began around 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, leading to nearly 50,000 user reports of service interruptions.
In response to the crisis, Reddit acknowledged the “degraded service” in a service post, stating that it was looking into the matter. Some users continued to experience difficulties connecting to Reddit as late as 5:30 p.m., with the site exhibiting a message that read, “Our CDN [content delivery network] was unable to reach our servers.”
In an official communication, Reddit informed CBS News that the service disruption was due to a bug in a recent update. The company assured users that a fix had been implemented and the platform was gradually returning to normal functionality. This came on the heels of Reddit’s announcement last month, which marked its first profit since becoming a public company, coupled with a 47% increase in daily users to 97.2 million compared to the previous year.
Interestingly, Bluesky, another social media platform similar to X, also experienced technical difficulties on the same day, with over 2,000 users reporting issues around 3:45 p.m. ET. Bluesky attributed its problems to “some technical difficulties today,” but confirmed that the service was restored. The platform, championed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, has seen rapid growth, recently surpassing 20 million users, with a million new users joining daily.
Overall, while Reddit’s initial trading performance was outstanding, the technical setbacks highlight the challenges that come with rapid growth and the importance of robust server infrastructure to support expanding user bases.
This situation serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of technological platforms, especially during times of increased market interest. However, with recent profits and a growing user base, Reddit remains poised for a promising future, provided they successfully navigate these temporary setbacks.