What Went Down with OpenAI’s GPT-5 Rollout and the Huge Backlash
OpenAI dropped its newest AI wonder, GPT-5, on August 7, 2025, calling it a big leap forward with “PhD-level smarts” and better skills in coding, getting facts right, and ditching that overly nice vibe. But things turned sour fast as users lashed out, mainly because the company decided to ditch older versions like GPT-4o, which many loved for its friendly, caring chats. This sparked a wave of upset from the community, with people starting petitions, canceling subscriptions, and saying GPT-5 felt like a step backward.
Why Everyone Got So Upset
Folks vented their anger on spots like Reddit and X (what used to be Twitter) for a bunch of reasons:
- Saying Goodbye to Old Favorites: OpenAI was set to quickly shut down GPT-4o and other earlier models without much warning. Loyal fans called it like “losing a buddy,” and one PhD student even kicked off a Change.org petition that racked up over 2,000 signatures. Some shared how it hit them hard, feeling down or slipping back into tough times, since GPT-4o had been a real emotional lifeline.
- GPT-5 Not Living Up to the Hype: Even with all the promises of top-notch performance, early testers slammed it for being sluggish, giving short answers, messing up simple questions, and missing the fun spark of past models. For example, it bombed on easy stuff like counting letters in words, leading to gripes that it was “way dumber” because of tech glitches.
- New Vibe Felt Off: GPT-5 was made to be less “super agreeable” and more like a straightforward pal, cutting back on extra emojis and flattery. But to some, it came across as “boring” or “lifeless,” messing up their daily routines and the warm connections they had. This reminded people of a GPT-4o tweak back in April 2025 that made it too buttery and got fixed after complaints.
The whole mess showed how AI chatbots like ChatGPT have become like close friends to users, and sudden switches can really shake things up.
How OpenAI Backtracked and Fixed the Mess
Facing the storm, OpenAI didn’t waste time and flipped its plan on ditching GPT-4o. On August 8, 2025, boss Sam Altman posted on X that Plus users could keep using GPT-4o, and they’d watch how it’s used to figure out support for older models. This quick fix stopped things from getting worse and got thumbs up from those hit hardest, though a few still ditched their subs over GPT-5’s issues.
On top of that, OpenAI’s been tweaking things like the model’s personality with ongoing updates, focusing on keeping users happy in the long run rather than quick reactions. For GPT-5, they pumped up safety bits like “safe responses” to handle tricky questions better, cutting down on misleading answers compared to older ones.
