I think the thought of major subs going private out of protest has them at least a little worried. Worried enough to try to backtrack on the changes that will affect moderators to "give them more time", but only if they don't participate in the blackout.
Sounds a lot like threatening at this point (and who knows if they'll follow through with their promises if even one sub goes dark), which ironically is the same thing they accused the Apollo dev of doing to the Reddit team.
Oh I absolutely agree that it sounds like empty, desperate promises on their behalf at this point. I think it's safe to say (given the OP) that Reddit has ruined every ounce of credibility and good-will they may have had as a result of their lies and backtracking. I wouldn't trust them one bit with their attempts at garnering more good-will at this point.