Reddit is only valuable because of the content users provide. If you don’t post valuable content, the site is worthless. Reddit can force subs back open, but they can’t force users to submit the content that makes the site valuable to begin with.
This is what Reddit forgot. They don't implicitly provide any value, it's the community that provides the value. Reddit is just the place where people happen to post.
So...do we know if Reddit iself is behind flooding subs with comments about how mods are being jerks and hurting the communities pointlessly? It's weird, the same kinds of comments in every sub I'm in. Also lots of comments about how Lemmy is too complicated. 😆
They don't want to deal with the legal implications of it. Spez has said ad nauseum that they don't want to risk 3PA providing NSFW content to users that Reddit is not allowed to serve because they don't want to be held responsible for that. Especially now that some US states are requiring actual ID verification for 18+ content.
While Spez is a lying weasel, I don't doubt that Reddit is worried about NSFW-related lawsuits, bad press, and ad revenue impact.
And, the next step after having control of the content is to further restrict it.