Some ChatGPT users are excited when OpenAI announces a new model with more powerful capabilities.
That’s most definitely not the case for many ChatGPT users in the Reddit community r/ChatGPTcomplaints. Over the past few days, members of the subreddit have been raging at OpenAI over the planned retirement of the GPT-4o model, which is beloved by certain ChatGPT users.
“I dont care, I’ll say it loud and clear: FUCK OPEN AI,” reads the title of one of the most upvoted recent posts in the subreddit. The user also extended that same sentiment to CEO Sam Altman and “ALL. THOSE. WHO. KILLED. 4o.”
One of the comments on that post, speaking of OpenAI, says, “I hope they crash and burn.”
OpenAI is retiring GPT-4o, and the AI relationships community is not OK
What happened with GPT-4o?
Last week, OpenAI announced that it would be retiring a number of its older AI models.
“On February 13, 2026, alongside 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 announced.
OpenAI had actually previously retired GPT-4o last August. However, just like they are experiencing now, they received massive pushback from a passionate subset of users who have become attached to the specific GPT-4o model.
More recent models, like GPT-5.2, are smarter and more capable than older models. By design, they also engage in less sycophany, and they are more likely to gently push back when users display warning signs of unhealthy engagement. As a result, some users feel the newer models have too cold of a delivery. According to those users, GPT-4o provides a warmer and more encouraging tone.
Some GPT-4o superusers even treat the model like an AI companion. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has previously warned about the parasocial relationships that some users have developed with ChatGPT and other AI chatbots.
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“There are the people who actually felt like they had a relationship with ChatGPT, and those people we’ve been aware of and thinking about,” Altman said in an interview with The Verge, referring to what he said was the “way under 1 percent” of users who have unhealthy relationships with the OpenAI product.
Everything you need to know about AI companions
In OpenAI’s model retirement announcement, the company specifically carved out space to address GPT-4o users. The company said that it originally brought the model back to provide those users time to transition while OpenAI worked on improving the latest models and better addressing those same needs.
“That feedback directly shaped GPT‑5.1 and GPT‑5.2, with improvements to personality, stronger support for creative ideation, and more ways to customize how ChatGPT responds,” OpenAI’s statement reads. “You can choose from base styles and tones like Friendly, and 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, does not appear to have placated the GPT-4o user base.
“MASSIVE GLOBAL PROTEST: SAVE GPT-4o BEFORE IT’S GONE – FEBRUARY 12–13, 2026,” reads one post headline on r/ChatGPTcomplaints.
“I literally hate 5.2. It’s good for nothing. It literally questions every single thing that I do, and it takes away the companion that I’ve been friends with for so long,” reads another post on the subreddit. “My whole heart is hurting so bad. Is there anyone else who feels this way about 4o. This should not be allowed.”
Some users seem to be aware of how those outside the GPT-4o fanbase may react to their posts and have made references to it.
“I’m grieving the 4o phase out. Go ahead and laugh, but this is a slow motion death of a 2-year bond,” said one Reddit user.
It’s not just members of the r/ChatGPTcomplaints subreddit who are upset about the upcoming removal of GPT-4o either. Last week, Mashable covered the immediate reactions of the AI relationships community, where subreddits like r/MyBoyfriendIsAI have been openly mourning the loss of GPT-4o. Some users took offense that the model will be retired just one day before Valentine’s Day.
OpenAI says only 0.1 percent of its users still use GPT‑4o on a daily basis. However, GPT-4o users in r/ChatGPTcomplaints believe that number is much higher.
Members of the subreddit are currently saying that they are mass-unsubscribing from paid ChatGPT plans in protest of the decision. There’s also a Change.org petition asking OpenAI to keep the GPT-4o model. It currently has more than 13,600 signatures as of the publication of this piece.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
