How Reddit CEO Steve Huffman got the upper hand with AI

Last fall, Chives took over Reddit. It started when a cook who belonged to the massive social site’s r/kitchenconfidential community pledged to practice his chive-cutting skills every day and post photos so that others could rate his technique. Thousands among the group’s 1.8 million weekly visitors weighed in, and soon he became known as “Chivelord.” All went well until day 31, when a commenter claimed that the latest image he’d posted was the same as the one from day 23, only flipped. A scandal—known, inevitably, as Chivegate—boiled over. Chivelord confessed to the subterfuge, explaining that car troubles had prevented him from cutting chives that day. He was widely forgiven and resumed posting photos. Eventually, his redemption was cemented by an ad that Kraft’s Philadelphia brand ran on Reddit. “Some heroes chop chives every day until Reddit says they’re perfect,” it read. “We whip ours into cream cheese.” The incident was fascinating, funny, and, above all, human—in other words, c