So Reddit has decided that plain HTML is unsafe

Reddit has quietly turned one of its most beloved throwback views, old.reddit.com, into a login-only zone, saying it’s needed “to keep Reddit safe.” And wow, the comment section did not take that calmly. For longtime users, this wasn’t just a design tweak — it felt like another funeral for the internet they actually liked. One user flat-out called it “a sad day” and said they’re basically done with Reddit because the newer layout is “terrible.” Another mourned it as “the second death of reddit,” complete with a sweeping rant about the site selling its soul years ago.

But the real drama came from the motive guessing. Some commenters are convinced this isn’t really about safety at all — it’s about who gets to profit from Reddit’s human-written posts in the age of artificial intelligence. One hot take pointed straight at Reddit’s reported deals with big AI players like OpenAI and Google, arguing the company may be locking the doors to keep other AI companies from grabbing the goods for free. That theory lit up the mood: less “trust us, it’s for safety,” more “sure, Jan.”

Not everyone bought the apocalypse. One cooler-headed reply accused the outrage of being hyperbolic, saying people just hate change and that keeping an old version alive is expensive and messy. Still, the vibe was clear: users aren’t just mad about a login screen. They’re angry because another simple, open-feeling corner of the web now feels fenced off, branded, and suspiciously monetized.