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𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘂 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 !! Reddit was founded in 2005 by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, college friends from the University of Virginia. Their original idea, “My Mobile Menu,” aimed to let people order food via SMS but was rejected by Y Combinator. Y Combinator encouraged them to build something new, leading to Reddit — a platform to share and vote on interesting web links. Reddit launched in June 2005 with a very basic interface, focusing entirely on user-submitted links and upvote/downvote mechanics. Initially, to create the illusion of activity, the founders posted content themselves using dozens of fake accounts. The upvote/downvote system became central to Reddit’s identity, giving users the power to decide what content surfaces. Pseudonymous participation (no real names required) gave users the freedom to share ideas openly and controversially. The introduction of subreddits — dedicated communities for specific interests — allowed rapid expansion and specialization. Subreddits now number over 100,000 active communities, ranging from r/AskReddit and r/science to r/wholesomememes and r/wallstreetbets. In 2006, Reddit was acquired by Condé Nast, giving it resources and media backing while creating some corporate culture clashes. By 2011, Reddit was spun off as a separate entity under Advance Publications, granting it more autonomy and control. As of 2025, Reddit has over 70 million daily active users and more than 430 million monthly active users worldwide. Users generate more than 1.6 billion visits per month, making Reddit one of the top 10 most visited websites globally. On average, users spend over 10 minutes per session on the platform — higher than most social media sites. Reddit's user base skews younger, with about 64% of users aged between 18–29 years, and the majority from the US, UK, Canada, and India. Reddit has faced challenges related to moderation, hate speech, misinformation, and controversial communities. Major events like the GameStop stock surge in 2021 (driven by r/wallstreetbets) showed Reddit’s massive influence on finance and media. The platform has continuously evolved, adding features like live discussions, polls, AMAs (Ask Me Anything), and video uploads. Despite controversies and competition, Reddit remains a vital space for uncensored discussions, niche communities, and viral content creation. What started as a small project for link sharing became a global content hub influencing trends, news, and internet culture.