Interestingly, Steve Huffman has gone on record at least 5 years ago stating that he will continue use to ensure i.reddit.com is supported. I think he said it in an AMA shortly after he became CEO. I figure as long as he is still at the helm it will continue on.
The relevant comment in which he claims it's also one of his favourite methods to browse the site:
Thanks for linking! Based on your comment it feels like I interpreted the original wrong. The person in your comment is not Steve, but their comment is basically equally valuable! So in practice what I said is still true, it’s just that whoever delivered the comment is not Steve
Huffman is not exactly known to stick by his words if it hurts his bottom line... Remember when he and Ohanian advertised Reddit as a "bastion of free speech" back ten years ago when it brought them new users, and then he did a 180 on that when it was convenient to raise advertising revenues in 2015?