Gallery: Fascinating Graphs Show How Reddit Got Huge by Going Mainstream
01redditwide
A detail of Randy Olson’s stacked area chart of reddit. Fuuuuuuu. *Image: Randy Olson*
02SubredditGrowthOverTime-2006
Here's 2006. In the site's early days, Reddit.com was the main attraction, but in February they added the first topical subreddits. *Image: Randy Olson*
03reddit2007
2007\. Nerd-friendly subreddits thrive. A celebrity-centric Lipstick.com section is replaced by r/entertainment. *Image: Randy Olson*
04reddit2008
2008\. The year of Reddit's "Cambrian Explosion," as Olson puts it. Why? This was the first point Reddit allowed users to create their own subreddits. *Image: Randy Olson*
05reddit2009
2009\. The subredditification continues. Olson's not sure what caused the /r/reddit.com spike in the middle of the year. *Image: Randy Olson*
06reddit2010
2010\. Olson calls this "the year gamers and porn invaded," partially thanks to an influx of users from the then-recently-defunct Digg.com *Image: Randy Olson*
07reddit2011
2011\. The year of the memes. Also the year mods pulled the plug on the catchall subreddit r/reddit.com. *Image: Randy Olson*
08reddit2012
2012\. The Reddit of today, dominated by images and other more mainstream, accessible content. *Image: Randy Olson*
Spooky New Infostealer Malware Uses AI to ‘Autodox’ Victims
Named “Volta-Autodoxer,” the recently uncovered malware uses AI tools to collect troves of data about victims, from login credentials and credit card numbers to Discord sessions and UberEats receipts.
Lily Hay Newman
Light Up Your Home Like Christmas With These Smart String Lights
Glow up your home indoors or out with these versatile, discounted, full color smart string lights. They’re WIRED-tested and 25 percent off right now.
Simon Hill
There’s a Completely New Type of Whisky. It’s French and Made in Concrete Eggs
The founders of Maison Lineti are, in a world first, making single malt whisky as if it were wine—and the spirit world is mighty impressed.
Jeremy White
Power Outages Are No Match for This Fridge Battery
Backup by BioLite is designed to power your fridge when the grid goes down. It works, but protecting your ice cream doesn’t come cheap.
Christopher Null
Meta’s Muse Could Upend All Kinds of Businesses. It Hasn’t Yet
Companies have spent the past several weeks trying to reassure investors that Muse and other AI agents pose more of an opportunity than a threat.
Paresh Dave
An AI Agent Injected Drugs Into a Live Mouse’s Brain
A biotech startup let an agent choose a gene therapy and successfully inject the treatment, offering a startling glimpse of the future of research labs.
Emily Mullin
Get Bose QC Headphones at Their Lowest Price Ever
They’re a steal at over 40 percent off in multiple colors. Plus, other great Bose deals you should know about ahead of Black Friday.
Harry Rabinowitz
The Keurig Alta Brewer Can Do It All, With No Plastic Pods
This multifaceted home coffee brewer and its new AltaRounds will make you rethink everything you know about Keurig machines.
Louryn Strampe
Are Memories Transferable? Meet the Scientists Replicating an Infamous Study to Find Out
In the 1960’s, an odd experiment showed planarian worms could transfer memories by consuming each other. It was a sensational finding—that is until the worms stopped learning.
Claire L. Evans
Sunrise Alarm Clocks to Help You Adjust to Shorter Days
I’ve never been a morning person. This bedside gadget is the only thing that’s ever changed that.
Nena Farrell
White Dwarfs Aren’t Just White. Scientists Discover Dying Stars Turning Pink and Green
Astronomers find that a white dwarf’s density and the kind of material it absorbed from its surroundings can produce a rainbow of shades in the star’s atmosphere.
Petr Kubala
Wayfair Coupons for November 2026
Get 10% off with Wayfair promo code, up to 80% off furniture, and more top coupons.
Molly Higgins