I think the demographic that uses reddit is often regarded as the most difficult and skeptical demographic to market to. Owning reddit probably gives them some fairly useful data and allows them to monitor trends and perhaps better position their more-for-retail brands to attract this user-base.
I agree with this sentiment, though I wish the reality were more like your theory for smarter brand positioning. On paper, it's a very attractive demographic -- 26 median age, pre-dominently male, affluent and well-educated.
It's oft pitched as Wired readers, only about a decade younger (Wired is an extremely well loved brand by advertisers).
