You know, I kind of agree. It's almost like they're trying to make people stop using it. They're copying things from other companies that are already known to cause backlash in a community.

Suddenly end all outside developer access after years of allowing it? Check.

Removing things that users have already paid for the use of? Check.

Heavy content moderation? Check.

Poor treatment of mods and staff? Check.

Heavy amounts of ads mixed in with the rest of the posts/content? Check.

Powertripping admins doling out random site-wide bans? Check.

Creating and spreading easily disproved lies about a potential competitor to try to make them shut up about you screwing them over? Check.

I'm curious as to whether or not your theory about someone bribing managers from the inside is accurate. It could maybe be something political, or maybe someone is trying to innovate a new social media. It could also be someone who has no experience making these calls, or it could be someone just doing it for shits and giggles.

Part of me kind of wonders if this might be a scorned employee who worked their way up to the level of company decision-making. Spite and anger can cause a person to do and endure crazy things for a long time. Hypothetically, that person could be angry at Reddit, Spez, or another high-ranking person.

It could even be someone who has hated reddit for years. A lot of people have gone though hard times because of reddit. Situations like "We did it reddit!" come to mind, where people harassed the family of an innocent guy who was killed during the Boston bombings. That type of behaviour wasn't a one-off, either. Multiple people have lost their jobs and/or families (justified or not) after people tracked them down online and doxxed them.