http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2015/07/reddit_amageddon_what_it_s_really_about.html

“Reddit is revolting,” read the headlines. “No kidding,” came the response. Indeed, Reddit experienced a seismic rebellion this past weekend, but the reasons behind the brief shutdown of large portions of the site are a lot more complicated—and uglier—than you would think. Contrary to most news reports, Reddit’s volunteer moderators did not shut off access to hundreds of the site’s top forums over the firing of the company’s much-beloved director of talent, Victoria “chooter” Taylor. “No subreddit shut down to protest Vic being fired,” wrote prominent Reddit moderator ImNotJesus. Taylor’s firing may have been the proximate cause, but the first forum to go dark, the “IAmA” subreddit responsible for Reddit “Ask Me Anything” interviews with figures stretching from Barack Obama to some guy with two penises, did so because in firing Taylor, Reddit had left the volunteer moderators without needed support for planned interviews, including an imminent one with Stephen Hawking. Mathematician Edward Frenkel was in the middle of an AMA and was taken by surprise when IAmA suddenly went private.