I think you're being a bit overblown. If it was just bots, it would have fizzled out sooner; the bot account trash has waxed and waned over time, but I suspect the big reason it worked is that for years it allowed any subcommunity to emerge naturally rather than trying to predicatively shape it.

And there are many worse examples of leadership in tech than Reddit. If anything until recently most of its C-suite historically (post founders) has been uninteresting enough to care. No one on the scale of a Gates, Neuman, Ellison, etc.

The recent turdstorm however, does signal a likely lamentable shift downward.

The bots didnt disappear. They just got better and harder to spot.

Something that happened 15 years ago when reddit had 50 users isn't evidence for anything today, really.

Like I said, Reddit has seemed to have always (including now) received a pass when it comes to fake accounts responding to each other to make it seem Reddit had more activity then in reality.

Certainly unethical then and I don't think much has changed as far as ethics goes, now.