The pool of applicants for Wikipedia editors and Reddit mods is already small as it is, and neither of it is paid. Reddit also expressly forbids moderators from profiting off their position (which is why the r/wallstreetbets takeover and the oust of u/zjz was reversed in the first place!), and Wikipedia disallows paid editing entirely.
Changing that would completely compromise both projects: Wikipedia, as it would immediately lead to "whoever bids the most controls the narrative" orchestrated by shady PR companies eager to white-wash the history of nations and individuals (again, it is already difficult enough to prevent that with the current model), and Reddit would face similar issues.
That said, both are in dire need of more paid and fully transparent support staff that mediates issues as well as takes over the load of policing outright abuse either by mods/admins or by mere contributors. Way too much volunteer time is wasted on dealing with low-effort bullshit (which is partially why I left Wikipedia over a decade ago).
Who said anything about getting paid and bidding? You’ve been the editor on an article for three years? You’re locked out of making edits for the next year to give someone else the opportunity. A major problem with both Reddit and Wikipedia is that a small number of volunteers exercise an inordinate amount of control over what is ostensibly a “community” owned space/resource.
Changing that would completely compromise both projects: Wikipedia, as it would immediately lead to "whoever bids the most controls the narrative" orchestrated by shady PR companies eager to white-wash the history of nations and individuals (again, it is already difficult enough to prevent that with the current model), and Reddit would face similar issues.
That said, both are in dire need of more paid and fully transparent support staff that mediates issues as well as takes over the load of policing outright abuse either by mods/admins or by mere contributors. Way too much volunteer time is wasted on dealing with low-effort bullshit (which is partially why I left Wikipedia over a decade ago).