Hasta La Gadget!

Reddit just wrapped up its second earnings call as a public company and CEO Steve Huffman hinted at some significant changes that could be coming to the platform. During the call, the Reddit co-founder said the company would begin testing AI-powered search results later this year.

“Later this year, we will begin testing new search result pages powered by AI to summarize and recommend content, helping users dive deeper into products, shows, games and discover new communities on Reddit,” Huffman said. He didn’t say when those tests would begin, but said it would use both first-party and third-party models.

Huffman noted that search on Reddit has “gone unchanged for a long time” but that it’s a significant opportunity to bring in new users. He also said that search could one day be a significant source of advertising revenue for the company.

Huffman hinted at other non-advertising sources of revenue as well. He suggested that the company might experiment with paywalled subreddits as it looks to monetize new features. “I think the existing, altruistic, free version of Reddit will continue to exist and grow and thrive just the way it has,” Huffman said. “But now we will unlock the door for new use cases, new types of subreddits that can be built that may have exclusive content or private areas, things of that nature.”

A Reddit spokesperson declined to elaborate on Huffman’s remarks. But it’s no secret the company has been eyeing new ways to expand its business since going public earlier this year. It’s struck multi million-dollar licensing deals with Google and OpenAI, and has blocked search engines that aren’t paying the company.

“Some players in the ecosystem have not been transparent with their use of Reddit’s content, and in those instances, we block access to protect Reddit content and user privacy,” Huffman said. “We want to know where Reddit data is going and what it’s being used for, and so those are the terms of engagement.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-ceo-teases-ai-search-features-and-paid-subreddits-225636988.html?src=rss

Reddit just wrapped up its second earnings call as a public company and CEO Steve Huffman hinted at some significant changes that could be coming to the platform. During the call, the Reddit co-founder said the company would begin testing AI-powered search results later this year.

“Later this year, we will begin testing new search result pages powered by AI to summarize and recommend content, helping users dive deeper into products, shows, games and discover new communities on Reddit,” Huffman said. He didn’t say when those tests would begin, but said it would use both first-party and third-party models.

Huffman noted that search on Reddit has “gone unchanged for a long time” but that it’s a significant opportunity to bring in new users. He also said that search could one day be a significant source of advertising revenue for the company.

Huffman hinted at other non-advertising sources of revenue as well. He suggested that the company might experiment with paywalled subreddits as it looks to monetize new features. “I think the existing, altruistic, free version of Reddit will continue to exist and grow and thrive just the way it has,” Huffman said. “But now we will unlock the door for new use cases, new types of subreddits that can be built that may have exclusive content or private areas, things of that nature.”

A Reddit spokesperson declined to elaborate on Huffman’s remarks. But it’s no secret the company has been eyeing new ways to expand its business since going public earlier this year. It’s struck multi million-dollar licensing deals with Google and OpenAI, and has blocked search engines that aren’t paying the company.

“Some players in the ecosystem have not been transparent with their use of Reddit’s content, and in those instances, we block access to protect Reddit content and user privacy,” Huffman said. “We want to know where Reddit data is going and what it’s being used for, and so those are the terms of engagement.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-ceo-teases-ai-search-features-and-paid-subreddits-225636988.html?src=rss

Reddit just wrapped up its second earnings call as a public company and CEO Steve Huffman hinted at some significant changes that could be coming to the platform. During the call, the Reddit co-founder said the company would begin testing AI-powered search results later this year.

“Later this year, we will begin testing new search result pages powered by AI to summarize and recommend content, helping users dive deeper into products, shows, games and discover new communities on Reddit,” Huffman said. He didn’t say when those tests would begin, but said it would use both first-party and third-party models.

Huffman noted that search on Reddit has “gone unchanged for a long time” but that it’s a significant opportunity to bring in new users. He also said that search could one day be a significant source of advertising revenue for the company.

Huffman hinted at other non-advertising sources of revenue as well. He suggested that the company might experiment with paywalled subreddits as it looks to monetize new features. “I think the existing, altruistic, free version of Reddit will continue to exist and grow and thrive just the way it has,” Huffman said. “But now we will unlock the door for new use cases, new types of subreddits that can be built that may have exclusive content or private areas, things of that nature.”

A Reddit spokesperson declined to elaborate on Huffman’s remarks. But it’s no secret the company has been eyeing new ways to expand its business since going public earlier this year. It’s struck multi million-dollar licensing deals with Google and OpenAI, and has blocked search engines that aren’t paying the company.

“Some players in the ecosystem have not been transparent with their use of Reddit’s content, and in those instances, we block access to protect Reddit content and user privacy,” Huffman said. “We want to know where Reddit data is going and what it’s being used for, and so those are the terms of engagement.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-ceo-teases-ai-search-features-and-paid-subreddits-225636988.html?src=rss

Reddit just wrapped up its second earnings call as a public company and CEO Steve Huffman hinted at some significant changes that could be coming to the platform. During the call, the Reddit co-founder said the company would begin testing AI-powered search results later this year.

“Later this year, we will begin testing new search result pages powered by AI to summarize and recommend content, helping users dive deeper into products, shows, games and discover new communities on Reddit,” Huffman said. He didn’t say when those tests would begin, but said it would use both first-party and third-party models.

Huffman noted that search on Reddit has “gone unchanged for a long time” but that it’s a significant opportunity to bring in new users. He also said that search could one day be a significant source of advertising revenue for the company.

Huffman hinted at other non-advertising sources of revenue as well. He suggested that the company might experiment with paywalled subreddits as it looks to monetize new features. “I think the existing, altruistic, free version of Reddit will continue to exist and grow and thrive just the way it has,” Huffman said. “But now we will unlock the door for new use cases, new types of subreddits that can be built that may have exclusive content or private areas, things of that nature.”

A Reddit spokesperson declined to elaborate on Huffman’s remarks. But it’s no secret the company has been eyeing new ways to expand its business since going public earlier this year. It’s struck multi million-dollar licensing deals with Google and OpenAI, and has blocked search engines that aren’t paying the company.

“Some players in the ecosystem have not been transparent with their use of Reddit’s content, and in those instances, we block access to protect Reddit content and user privacy,” Huffman said. “We want to know where Reddit data is going and what it’s being used for, and so those are the terms of engagement.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-ceo-teases-ai-search-features-and-paid-subreddits-225636988.html?src=rss

Google’s Chromecast is no more. With Tuesday’s introduction of its successor, the company laid to rest the brand that kicked off 11 years ago with a novel product that helped move streaming onto the center stage of home entertainment. With the Google TV Streamer taking the baton, it’s time to look back at 11 years of Chromecast.

Google’s casting-centric brand arrived on July 24, 2013, with the first-generation Chromecast. The streaming stick plugged directly into a TV’s HDMI port and lacked a remote control. Instead, you fired up content using a mobile device or computer.

Most importantly, the innovative gizmo only cost $35. This was when an Apple TV set-top box started at $99, and app-laden televisions were nowhere near commonplace. Even Roku’s same-generation Streaming Stick, which landed a year earlier, cost $100. Oh, and it required a TV certified as “Roku-ready.”

When faced with pricier options, it was hard to resist the Chromecast. And many people felt that way: The stick quickly sold out. And it hung around for longer than most tech products, as the company only retired it last year.

Engadget applauded the device. Our review praised it as a wholehearted recommendation “for anyone who’s been looking for an easy, unobtrusive way to put some brains into their dumb TV.” The device was Google at its best: Innovating in a highly accessible, affordable and device-agnostic way.

Nicole Lee for Engadget

What followed were years of iterations as competitors pushed out competing products, and Google responded with more modern features and redesigns.

The second-gen model from 2015 switched to a dongle form factor with a magnetized back and HDMI plug. The same year, Google launched a music-focused sister device, Chromecast Audio (with a vinyl record-inspired appearance). Chromecast Ultra, the first stab at a higher-end model, landed in 2016 with 4K streaming and Dolby Vision support. A third-gen model followed in 2018 with faster speeds, Nest speaker integration… and not much else.

This decade, we saw the awkwardly branded Chromecast with Google TV (4K) in 2020 — now with a remote!! — and the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) in 2022. In hindsight, the strange naming could now be seen as the company’s first nudge toward a rebrand.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

This brings us to today, as Google bids adieu to its streaming wunderkind—at least under its old name. The Google TV Streamer, with its sleek wedge shape and unique hazel color option, is taking over in a much different landscape than we saw 11 years ago.

The Chromecast, especially that innovative first-generation model, helped push us into the streaming-first world many of us have lived in ever since. That’s especially true when you consider its impact on competitors. Roku’s second-generation Streaming Stick from 2014 dropped from $99 to $50 and ditched its doomed “Roku Ready TV” requirement. Meanwhile, Amazon saw an opening and launched a Fire TV Stick (also in 2014) that cost $39.

Without that first Chromecast model, it’s hard to tell how that landscape may have looked different in the following years.

It isn’t too late to dip your toes into the nostalgia pool and pick up a Chromecast, as Google says the old devices will remain on the market while supplies last. Crucially, the company’s promise of security updates and support remains unchanged, so there’s no need to fret if you recently picked up one of the soon-to-be-extinct devices.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/rip-chromecast-looking-back-at-11-years-of-google-streaming-211742586.html?src=rss