Reddit redesigned its site and it could kill discussion subreddits.

This is the point of the re-design. No platform actually wants unrestricted user interaction. It’s harmful to ad spending, ad viewing, and now with FOSTA/SESTA laws, there are direct financial consequences by way of government censorship.

However, Reddit knows it can’t just immediately ban all commenting. That would destroy the site in mere days. They can, however, de-prioritize this in a re-design and claim it was an accidental result of a much-needed design update. This is exactly what they are doing and will continue to do.