true... or just get new moderators in that are ok with keeping the site without turning it into private/blocking access to everyone else. No one likes personal fiefdoms, and the mods are acting like local warlords.
Well thats the crux of the issue, reddit mods find third party apps improve their ability to perform their free labor. Theres no expectation that new mods would find the core reddit experience better.
Current mods can protest even after their removal by mass reporting posts on their former subs, causing the new mods to engage with the poor moderation experience on the core app.
This is just bad management from reddit.