While the journalist isn't wrong about Reddit's leadership, they yet again miss the real issue: It's not about Reddit wanting to charge for their API. Look at the absurd cost, the ridiculously short timeframe, the refusals to negotiate with anyone, and lack of parity in their own app and moderator tools.
Their plan is clearly to kill off 3rd party apps and force everyone through their preferred channels so they can monetize it better. Anything else they say is just a lie to cover up that fact.