Reddit aims to double in size as social news site invests for growth

After punching below its weight for years, firm is building new tech and experimenting with charging users

By any objective measure, Reddit is an internet giant. The social news site is one of the top 20 sites in the world, with more users than Twitter. They move markets, break news and source most of the viral images that float across your Facebook page a month later. Reddit's co-founder Alexis Ohanian is tech royalty, not to mention Mr Serena Williams.

But for years, the site has punched below its weight. As a business, its valuation is a fraction of its peers, and so too is its income; as a cultural phenomenon, it's sidelined as a geeky pursuit. But now the company has a plan to turn that around, says Jen Wong, Reddit's chief operating officer.