The company confirmed to me that it is moving in a direction that other platforms have taken: converting users to the app. Reddit says that the test aims to find out if people like me—those who use the service but aren’t generally logged in—get a better experience with the app.
Ars is good source for pointing out just how shitty the tech world has gotten. They definitely have a bunch of writers who love lapping up the slop they’re fed like little piggies.