Some ChatGPT users are excited when OpenAI announces a powerful new model.
Not so for many ChatGPT users in the Reddit r/ChatGPTcomplaints community. For the past few days, members of the subreddit have been angry at OpenAI about the planned retirement of the GPT-4o model, which is popular with some ChatGPT users.
“I don’t care, I’m going to say it loud and clear: FUCK OPEN AI,” you read the article in one of the most upvoted recent posts on the subreddit. The user also extended that same sentiment to CEO Sam Altman and “ALL. THOSE. WERE. KILLED. 4o.”
One of the comments on that post, referring to OpenAI, says, “I hope they crash and burn.”
OpenAI is withdrawing GPT-4o, and the AI relationship community is not happy
What happened to GPT-4o?
Last week, OpenAI announced that it would retire a number of its older AI models.
“On February 13, 2026, along with the previously announced retirement of GPT-5 (Instant and Thinking), we will retire GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and OpenAI o4-mini from ChatGPT,” the company said. announced.
OpenAI had actually retired GPT-4o last August. However, as they face it now, they have received a lot of backlash from a small set of users who are stuck with a particular GPT-4o model.
More recent models, such as the GPT-5.2, are smarter and more capable than older models. By design, they also engage in a little sycophany, and are more likely to back away when users show warning signs of unhealthy involvement. As a result, some users feel that the new models are too cold to deliver. According to those users, the GPT-4o provides a warm and encouraging tone.
Some major GPT-4o users even treat the model as an AI companion. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has previously warned about the parasocial relationships some users have formed using ChatGPT and other AI chatbots.
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“There are people who feel like they have a relationship with ChatGPT, and those people we knew and thought about,” Altman said in an interview with The Verge, referring to what he called “way less than 1 percent” of users who have an unhealthy relationship with the OpenAI product.
Everything you need to know about AI companions
In the OpenAI model retirement announcement, the company carved out a space to talk to GPT-4o users. The company said it initially brought back the model to give those users time to transition while OpenAI worked on developing the latest models and better addressing those same needs.
“That feedback directly shaped GPT‑5.1 and GPT-5.2, with improvements in personality, stronger support for creative ideas, and more ways to customize the way ChatGPT responds,” OpenAI’s statement reads. “You can choose from basic styles and tones like Friendly, as well as controls for things like warmth and enthusiasm. Our goal is to give people more control and customization over how ChatGPT feels to use—not just what it can do.”
GPT-4o users protest OpenAI
OpenAI’s latest statement, however, doesn’t seem to have laid the groundwork for GPT-4o users.
“THE WORLD’S BIGGEST PROTEST: STOP GPT-4o BEFORE IT’S GONE – FEBRUARY 12–13, 2026,” read another posted topic of r/ChatGPT complaints.
“I literally hate 5.2. It’s not good for anything. It questions everything I do, and it’s taking away a friend I could be friends with for a long time,” read another. posted on the subreddit. “My whole heart hurts so much. Does anyone else feel this way about 4o. This should not be allowed.”
Some users seem to be aware of how those outside of the GPT-4o fanbase might react to their posts and make references to them.
“I’m sad for the 4o category. Keep laughing, but this is the slow death of a 2 year bond,” said one Reddit user.
It’s not just members of the er/ChatGPTcomplaints subreddit who are upset about the upcoming removal of GPT-4o either. Last week, Mashable talked about the immediate reaction of the AI relationship community, where subreddits like r/MyBoyfriendIsAI openly mourned the loss of GPT-4o. Some users are upset that the model will be discontinued just one day before Valentine’s Day.
OpenAI says that only 0.1 percent of its users still use GPT-4o on a daily basis. However, GPT-4o users on r/ChatGPT complaints believe that number is too high.
Members of the subreddit currently claim to have subscribed to ChatGPT’s paid plans in protest of the decision. There is also a Change.org request asks OpenAI to save the GPT-4o model. It currently has over 13,600 signatures as of this piece’s publication.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that it infringes Ziff Davis’s copyright in training and using its AI programs.
