The subreddit experience is bifurcated into (at least) two camps: big/popular/default or small/curated/niche. The tyrannical behaviors are most often found in the former camp where being a moderator is synonymous with “internet power”. The latter is populated by enthusiasts tending to their communities.

I agree that Reddit won’t be the same after this, but there’s just not a ton of remaining value in the big defaults. They’re already plagued with low value, low effort content, low cardinality content. The true damage that’s being done right now is to the small communities which represent(ed) the best of Reddit. Out of the spotlight but deep in quality content for those that care about the topic. The inherent risk of stability is more certain now with Reddit’s new policies. And I suspect now with many subreddits weighing indefinite shutdowns that many users (perhaps more importantly: the best content creators) will scatter to the wind for greener pastures. Those that are left are given crappy apps, lots of ads, and hollow communities eagerly looking for something better.