My fellow redditors,

When Steve and I created this site twelve years ago, our vision was simple but powerful. We wanted to create an open platform for communities and their members to find and discuss the content they found most interesting. And today, that principle is exactly what net neutrality is all about: preserving an open internet with consumer choice and unimpeded access to information.

Net neutrality ensures that the free market—not big cable—picks the winners and losers. This is a bipartisan issue, and we at Reddit will continue to fight for it. We’ve been here before, and this time we’re facing even worse odds.

But as we all know, you should never tell redditors the odds.

A level playing field

Net neutrality gives new ideas, online businesses, and up-and-coming sites—like Reddit was twelve years ago—the opportunity to find an audience and grow on a level playing field. Saving net neutrality is crucial for the future of entrepreneurship in the digital age.

We weren’t always in the top ten most-viewed sites in the U.S. When Steve and I started Reddit right out of college, we were just two kids with $12K in funding and some computers in Medford, MA. Our plan was to make something people wanted, because we knew if we accomplished that, we could win—even against massive incumbents.

But we wouldn’t have succeeded if users had to pay extra to visit our website, or if better-funded alternatives loaded faster. Our start-up got to live the American dream thanks to the open internet, and I want to be able to tell aspiring entrepreneurs with a straight face that they can build the next Reddit. If we lose net neutrality, I can’t tell them that.

We did it, Reddit, and we can do it again.

You all are capable of creating movements.

I’ve had a front-row seat to witness the power of Reddit communities to rally behind a common goal—starting when you all named a whale Mister Splashy Pants in 2007. It’s been heartening to watch your collective creativity and energy over the years; it’s easy to take all these amazing moments of community and conversation for granted, but the thing that makes them all possible is the open internet, which unites redditors as an issue above all.

Here’s a quick recap:

• In 2012, we coordinated with mods to black out the website to protest SOPA & PIPA. They called these two bills “inevitable” in DC until America spoke up and they became “unthinkable.”

• Then, you all crowdfunded a bus we took through the heartland to support the open internet.

• Back in 2014, you all rallied to deluge the FCC with thoughtful comments in support of net neutrality, and we collected your best comments for our own letter to the FCC.

• You crowdfunded $20,000 to put up net neutrality ads across DC.

• In the span of a few hours, you made over 15,000 phone calls to the FCC and your representatives!

And all of this actually worked.

It’s not just about the U.S., because redditors in India have used the site to defend net neutrality and the CRTC (the Canadian equivalent of the FCC) visited r/Canada for a thoughtful (and 99% upvoted!) discussion with citizens.

Reddit is simply too large to ignore, and you all did all of this when we were just a fraction of the size we are today.

Time to get back to work

We’re proud to join major internet companies like Amazon, Etsy, Twitter, and Netflix (better late than never!) in today’s Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality, orchestrated by Fight for the Future. We’ve already been hosting AMAs on the subject with politicians (like Senator Schatz) and journalists (like Brian Fung from the Washington Post). Today we’re changing our logo and sharing a special message from Steve, our CEO, with every visitor to our front page to raise awareness and send people to BattleForTheNet.com. Most exciting, dozens of communities on Reddit (with millions of subscribers) across party lines and interest areas have joined the cause. If your community hasn’t joined in yet, now’s the time! (And you’ll be in good company: u/Here_Comes_The_King is on our side.)

The FCC is deciding this issue the way big cable and ISPs want it to, so it’s on us as citizens to tell them—and our representatives in the Senate and House—how important the open internet is to our economy, our society, and especially for when we’re bored at work.

I invite everyone who cares about this across the internet to come talk about it with us on Reddit. Join the conversation, upvote stories about net neutrality’s importance to keep them top of mind, make a high-quality GIF or two, and, most importantly, contact the FCC to let them know why you care about protecting the open internet.

This is how we win: when every elected official realizes how vital net neutrality is to all of their constituents.

--Alexis

Comment on this post with why net neutrality is important to you! We’re visiting D.C. next month, so if you're an American, add your representatives' names to your comment, we’ll do our best to share your stories with them on Capitol Hill!

After two weeks abroad, I was looking forward to returning to the U.S. this weekend, but as I got off the plane at LAX on Sunday, I wasn't sure what country I was coming back to.

President Trump’s recent executive order is not only potentially unconstitutional, but deeply un-American. We are a nation of immigrants, after all. In the tech world, we often talk about a startup’s “unfair advantage” that allows it to beat competitors. Welcoming immigrants and refugees has been our country's unfair advantage, and coming from an immigrant family has been mine as an entrepreneur.

As many of you know, I am the son of an undocumented immigrant from Germany and the great grandson of refugees who fled the Armenian Genocide.

A little over a century ago, a Turkish soldier decided my great grandfather was too young to kill after cutting down his parents in front of him; instead of turning the sword on the boy, the soldier sent him to an orphanage. Many Armenians, including my great grandmother, found sanctuary in Aleppo, Syria—before the two reconnected and found their way to Ellis Island. Thankfully they weren't retained, rather they found this message:

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

My great grandfather didn’t speak much English, but he worked hard, and was able to get a job at Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company in Binghamton, NY. That was his family's golden door. And though he and my great grandmother had four children, all born in the U.S., immigration continued to reshape their family, generation after generation. The one son they had—my grandfather (here’s his AMA)—volunteered to serve in the Second World War and married a French-Armenian immigrant. And my mother, a native of Hamburg, Germany, decided to leave her friends, family, and education behind after falling in love with my father, who was born in San Francisco.

She got a student visa, came to the U.S. and then worked as an au pair, uprooting her entire life for love in a foreign land. She overstayed her visa. She should have left, but she didn't. After she and my father married, she received a green card, which she kept for over a decade until she became a citizen. I grew up speaking German, but she insisted I focus on my English in order to be successful. She eventually got her citizenship and I’ll never forget her swearing in ceremony.

If you’ve never seen people taking the pledge of allegiance for the first time as U.S. Citizens, it will move you: a room full of people who can really appreciate what I was lucky enough to grow up with, simply by being born in Brooklyn. It thrills me to write reference letters for enterprising founders who are looking to get visas to start their companies here, to create value and jobs for these United States.

My forebears were brave refugees who found a home in this country. I’ve always been proud to live in a country that said yes to these shell-shocked immigrants from a strange land, that created a path for a woman who wanted only to work hard and start a family here.

Without them, there’s no me, and there’s no Reddit. We are Americans. Let’s not forget that we’ve thrived as a nation because we’ve been a beacon for the courageous—the tired, the poor, the tempest-tossed.

Right now, Lady Liberty’s lamp is dimming, which is why it's more important than ever that we speak out and show up to support all those for whom it shines—past, present, and future. I ask you to do this however you see fit, whether it's calling your representative (this works, it's how we defeated SOPA + PIPA), marching in protest, donating to the ACLU, or voting, of course, and not just for Presidential elections.

Our platform, like our country, thrives the more people and communities we have within it. Reddit, Inc. will continue to welcome all citizens of the world to our digital community and our office.

—Alexis

And for all of you American redditors who are immigrants, children of immigrants, or children’s children of immigrants, we invite you to share your family’s story in the comments.

Update: Thank you, everyone! We were in touch with Congressman Mike Doyle's office yesterday sharing some of your great stories from his home district in Pennsylvania (thanks, u/Bones_MD!), and they've heard you loud and clear. They are leading an effort to get Congress to ask the FCC to delay their December 14 vote, but they need as many Congressional members as possible to sign on. You can help them by calling or writing your member of Congress (look them up here or through www.battleforthenet.com) and specifically asking him or her to sign onto Representative Doyle's letter to the FCC. We'll be doing the same. Keep it up, we're being heard!

Hi All,

If you spent any time on Reddit last week, you may have noticed a common theme in the posts on your front page, so we wanted to take a moment to recap what’s happened so far in the fight for net neutrality, underscore how important this issue is to Reddit, and share how we plan to continue to stand up for an internet that remains open and free.

On Tuesday, FCC chairman Ajit Pai announced his intention to vote on a full rollback of the 2015 net neutrality rules. While the pre-Thanksgiving timing of the announcement might have helped the news sneak by over the holidays, you all have helped prevent that from happening. Aside from ensuring that net neutrality was discussed IRL around Thanksgiving tables across the country, you brought the conversation about the open internet to almost every community on the site, from r/dataisbeautiful to r/trashpandas. You’ve made high-quality gifs, flooded the meme market, explained the issue to people who are out of the loop, and given a history of why net neutrality rules are essential.

In just one week, you made 50,000 unique posts and over 350,000 comments related to net neutrality, generating over 21 million votes. While Tuesday’s news hits close to home, we are grateful that the Reddit community cares just as much about net neutrality as we do at Reddit HQ.

As many of you know, the FCC’s vote will happen on December 14 and is expected to pass. However, the vote is also expected to be challenged almost immediately in court, likely kicking off a long process that will take years to work through. During this time, Congress will likely try to legislate a fix. As a still-small company that owes its existence to net neutrality’s giving us a fair chance in the marketplace, we will take every opportunity to share our perspective and give constructive input to this process. The data says that Americans don’t see this as a partisan issue, and neither do we.

Most of the activism right now is focused on driving messages to Congress and the FCC before December 14 (including a protest in DC the day before the vote). The FCC has received a record 22 million comments on net neutrality but has indicated they have not reviewed comments that don’t introduce new facts into the record or make serious legal arguments. Additionally, they believe a number of the comments are fake. While we are unlikely to change the FCC’s decision, we encourage you to follow Commissioner Rosenworcel’s suggestion and continue to “make a ruckus” to let the FCC hear your individual stories on the importance of net neutrality.

A few months ago, u/kn0thing asked you to leave comments explaining why net neutrality is important to you, and thousands of you delivered. Today, we’re asking you again to leave personal stories that we can use in the battle ahead. When we shared these stories with members of Congress this past July, we saw firsthand how effective they are at humanizing an issue that is too often perceived as an abstract battle between big corporate interests.

We will continue to share these personal testimonials with more members of Congress, with the media, and potentially file them in court briefs. Our goal in this effort is to keep the personal dimension of the open internet top of mind for everyone who wants to repeal net neutrality. We know how powerful redditors banding together for a common cause can be, so our focus will continue to be on amplifying your voices, from Capitol Hill to — if it comes to it — the Supreme Court.

So, please tell us in the comments:

How would your life change if internet service providers started blocking or throttling certain internet traffic, or creating paid prioritization channels for certain content?

Include as much detail as you feel comfortable sharing. Generally, the more specific, the better. Mentioning your state and Congressional representative is especially useful.

Thank you.

u/ArabScarab (Jessica Ashooh, our Head of Policy), and I will hang around to answer questions.

Well, folks. It’s that time of the year again. The end of the year—when we share a few (slightly premature) highlights from 2017!

You can check out all of our highlights—including a few fun stats and some “Reddit Superlatives”—in our official blog post, but if you’re tired of clickin’, read on for a quick summary.

Most Upvoted Posts of 2017

• 1. “The Senate. Upvote this so that people see it when they Google ‘The Senate.’”

• 2. “Private Internet Access, a VPN provider, takes out a full page ad in The New York Times calling out 50 senators.”

• 3. “Gas station worker takes precautionary measures after customer refused to put out his cigarette”

• 4. “This is Shelia Fredrick, a flight attendant. She noticed a terrified girl accompanied by an older man. She left a note in the bathroom on which the victim wrote that she needed help. The police was alerted & the girl was saved from a human trafficker. We should honor our heroes.”

• 5. “My dad waits every year for the day the sun rises just right and reflects along the railroad tracks, Today was that day!”

• 6. “And here it is: Likely the last sketch I'll ever post on Reddit. It's been a wild ride, guys and girls. Thanks for everything.”

• 7. “Half-naked girls get thousands of upvotes, how many for our boy in blue?”

• 8. “Reddit’s Immigrants”

• 9. “Protect Net Neutrality. Save the Internet.”

• 10. “We need your voice as we continue the fight for net neutrality”

Most Upvoted AMAs of 2017

• 1. "I’m Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Ask Me Anything."

• 2. “I'm Alan Sealls, your friendly neighborhood meteorologist who woke up one day to Reddit calling me the ‘Best weatherman ever’ AMA.”

• 3. “Joe Manchin refused to listen to our pleas for help. He said, “I’m not changing. Find somebody else who can beat me and vote me out.“ So, I took him up on it. I’m running for US Senate for the beautiful State of West Virginia, and my name is Paula Jean Swearengin. AMA”

• 4. “I am Elon Musk, ask me anything about BFR!”

• 5. "I'm the Monopoly Man that trolled Equifax -- AMA!"

• 6. "Good news, Redditors! We are Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, Billy West, and John Dimaggio, here to talk all things FUTURAMA! Ask away, meatbags!"

• 7. “I was Goofy at Walt Disney World for over 20 years! AMA! (This post is not for those who wish to preserve the Disney Magic)”

• 8. “I am Dr. Jane Goodall, a scientist, conservationist, peacemaker, and mentor. AMA.”

• 9. “I spent 21 years in prison for a murder I didn’t commit, and my story was just made into a movie. AMA.”

• 10. “President Trump has threatened national monuments, resumed Arctic drilling, and approved the Dakota Access pipeline. I’m an environmental lawyer taking him to court. AMA!”

Largest New Communities Created in 2017

• 1. r/MovieDetails

• 2. r/INEEEEDIT

• 3. r/TrumpCriticizesTrump

• 4. r/AccidentalWesAnderson

• 5. r/bonehurtingjuice

• 6. r/WatchandLearn

• 7. r/esist

• 8. r/2healthbars

• 9. r/MarchAgainstTrump

• 10. r/FireEmblemHeroes

Honorable mentions:

• r/SequelMemes (which just missed the cut-off at #11).

• r/PrequelMemes (which just missed the cut-off because it was created five days before the start of 2017).

Best of 2017: Subreddit Edition

Right now, communities across Reddit are working on their own “Best of 2017” posts, so if you want to see all the very best of the best-of threads from your favorite subbies, check out r/bestof2017.

From all of us at Reddit HQ, Happy Snoo Year!

It’s December, which means it's that time of the year to cue up the "Imagine," overpromise and underdeliver on some fresh resolutions, and look back (a little early, I know) at a few of the moments that defined Reddit in 2019.

You can check out all the highlights—including a breakdown of the top posts and communities by category—in our official 2019 Year in Review blog post (or read on for a quick summary below).

And stay tuned for the annual Best Of, where moderators and users from communities across the site reflect on the year and vote for the best content their communities had to offer in 2019.

In the meantime, Happy Snoo Year from all of us at Reddit HQ!

Top Conversations

Redditors engaged with a number of world events in 2019, including the Hong Kong protests, net neutrality, vaccinations and the #Trashtag movement. However, it was a post in r/pics of Tiananmen Square with a caption critical of our latest fundraise that was the top post of the year (presented below uncensored by us overlords).

Here’s a look at our most upvoted posts and AMAs of the year (as of the end of October 2019):

Most Upvoted Posts in 2019

1. (228K upvotes) Given that reddit just took a $150 million investment from a Chinese -censorship powerhouse, I thought it would be nice to post this picture of "Tank Man" at Tienanmen Square before our new glorious overlords decide we cannot post it anymore. via r/pics

2. (225K upvotes) Take your time, you got this via r/gaming

3. (221K upvotes) People who haven't pooped in 2019 yet, why are you still holding on to last years shit? via r/askreddit

4. (218K upvotes) Whoever created the tradition of not seeing the bride in the wedding dress beforehand saved countless husbands everywhere from hours of dress shopping and will forever be a hero to all men. via r/showerthoughts

5. (215K upvotes) This person sold their VHS player on eBay and got a surprise letter in the mailbox. via r/pics

Most Upvoted AMAs of 2019 - r/IAmA

1. (110K upvotes) Bill Gates

2. (75.5K upvotes) Cookie Monster

3. (69.3K upvotes) Andrew Yang

4. (68.4K upvotes) Derek Bloch, ex-scientologist

5. (68K upvotes) Steven Pruitt, Wikipedian with over 3 million edits

Top Communities

This year, we also took a deeper dive into a few categories: beauty, style, food, parenting, fitness/wellness, entertainment, sports, current events, and gaming. Here’s a sneak peek at the top communities in each (the top food and fitness/wellness communities will shock you!):

Top Communities in 2019 By Activity

• Top Beauty Community: r/skincareaddiction

• Top General Style Community: r/sneakers

• Top Food Community: r/food

• Top Parenting Community: r/parenting

• Top Fitness/Wellness Community: r/fitness

• Top Music Community: r/hiphopheads

• Top Television Community: r/freefolk

• Top Sports Community: r/nba

• Top News Discussion Community: r/politics

• Top Game Community: r/fortnitebr

On September 22, 2012, we were introduced to Tardar Sauce in a post to r/pics.

Tardar Sauce, lovingly nicknamed Grumpy Cat, was more than an icon in meme culture. Grumpy Cat was a symbol of the mild annoyance that exists in each and every one of us. As part of the Reddit community for over 6 years, she will be sorely missed.

In true Reddit fashion, Grumpy Cat is being celebrated in a number of ways in different communities—from r/cats and r/dankmemes to Lego fans, Minecrafters, and u/Shitty_Watercolour.

Grumpy Cat touched our lives and our Snoo pillows in a visit to Reddit HQ in 2015. She truly was as unimpressed by us as she seemed online. We will forever remember her sitting upon her Snoo throne, drifting off to sleep from boredom in dealing with us simple peasants.

The spirit of Grumpy Cat will live on inside each of our hearts. Every time a headphone is ripped from your ear. Every time you knock your head on an inanimate object. Every time someone talks over an important scene in Game of Thrones, someone tells you to “calm down,” or chews really loudly with their mouth open – Grumpy Cat is with you.

So, on this morning that has already made the internet a much sadder, grumpier place to be, we pay tribute to the queen of cats and memes and cat memes. We invite all of you to do the same.

Please feel free to post any Grumpy Cat tributes we missed in the comments.