Google's AI is changing the internet, and the sites that lived on Google traffic are feeling it. On Reddit's investor call in late October, CEO Steve Huffman said Google's AI Mode "does not drive traffic". According to the company, search referrals fell by more than a million a week on average in October, and Huffman described Google traffic as unpredictable. The stock fell more than 20% after the report.
Not just Reddit
Broader data shows a similar trend. According to one report, Google referrals to news sites fell between June 2025 and June 2026 by 43% for large publishers, about 40% for medium ones and nearly 60% for small ones. A Chartbeat study from March found a similar picture over two years. The reason: when Google shows a summarized answer at the top of the page, fewer people click the links.
Considering a block
According to reports, Reddit and major publishers, including USA Today, are considering blocking Google's crawler if referrals keep falling. It is an extreme step, since Google is still the largest traffic source for most sites. Meanwhile, publishers are also fighting Meta, whose new terms of use could let it scrape news sites.
What it means for us
This shift directly affects every content site, including Techwire. In a world where search engines answer on their own, sites need to build a direct relationship with readers: newsletters, community, and original content that can't be summarized in one line. Note: Reddit's figures are management statements on an investor call, not independently verified data.
