That’s certainly not the case for many ChatGPT users in the Reddit community r/ChatGPTcomplaints. For the past few days, members of the subreddit have been fuming at OpenAI over the planned retirement of the GPT-4o model, beloved by some ChatGPT users.
“I don’t care, I’ll say it loud and clear: Fuck Open AI,” The title reads One of the most upvoted recent posts in the subreddit. The user also expressed the 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 shutting down GPT-4o, and the AI relationship community is not okay
What happened with GPT-4o?
Last week, OpenAI announced that it would be decommissioning many of its older AI models.
“On February 13, 2026, concurrent 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 announced.
OpenAI actually retired GPT-4o last August. However, as they are now experiencing, they received a massive response from an enthusiastic subgroup of users who have latched onto the specific GPT-4o model.
Recent models, such as GPT-5.2, are smarter and more capable than older models. By design, they engage in less sycophancy, and are more likely to gently back off when users exhibit warning signs of unhealthy engagement. As a result, some users feel that the delivery of new models is too cold. According to those users, GPT-4o offers a warmer and more upbeat tone.
Some GPT-4o superusers even treat the model as an AI companion. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had previously warned about the parasocial relationships some users have developed with ChatGPT and other AI chatbots.
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“There are people who really feel like they had a relationship with ChatGPT, and those are the people we know about and think about,” Altman said in an interview with The Verge, adding that there are “less than 1 percent” of users who have an unhealthy relationship with the OpenAI product.
Everything you need to know about AI companions
In OpenAI’s model retirement announcement, the company made space to specifically address GPT-4o users. The company said it originally rolled back the model to provide those users time for the change while OpenAI worked on improving the latest model and better addressing those same needs.
“That feedback directly shaped GPT‑5.1 and GPT‑5.2, including improvements to personality, stronger support for creative ideation, and more ways to customize how ChatGPT responds,” the OpenAI statement said. “You can choose from basic 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 they use ChatGPT – not just what it can do.”
GPT-4o users protest against OpenAI
However, OpenAI’s latest statement has not satisfied the GPT-4o user base.
“MASSIVE GLOBAL PROTEST: SAVE GPT-4O BEFORE IT EXIT – February 12-13, 2026,” one reads. Post Title on r/ChatGPTComplaints.
“I really hate 5.2. It’s no good for anything. It literally makes me question everything I do, and it takes away the partner I’ve been friends with for so long,” wrote another. Post On the subreddit. “My whole heart is hurting so badly. Is there anyone else who feels this way about 4 o’clock. This should not be allowed.”
Some users are aware of how people outside the GPT-4o fanbase may react to their posts and have referenced this.
“I’m mourning the 4o phase out. Go ahead and laugh, but this is the slow death of a 2 year bond.” Said A Reddit user.
It’s not just members of the r/ChatGPTcomplaints subreddit who are upset by the upcoming removal of GPT-4o. Last week, Mashable covered the immediate reactions from the AI relationship community, where subreddits like r/MyBoyfriendIsAI are openly mourning the loss of GPT-4o. Some users expressed displeasure that the model would be retired just a 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 in r/ChatGPTcomplaints believe the number is much higher.
Members of the subreddit are currently saying they are mass unsubscribing from paid ChatGPT plans in protest of the decision. there is also one change.org petition Asking OpenAI to maintain the GPT-4o model. As of the publishing of this piece it currently has over 13,600 signatures.
Disclosure: Mashable’s parent company Ziff Davis filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in the training and operation of its AI systems.
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