OpenAI Faces Backlash Over GPT-5 Rollout

OpenAI launches GPT-5 while retiring older models, triggering backlash from subscribers and a quick response from leadership.

OpenAI Faces Backlash Over GPT-5 Rollout and Retirement of Older Models

OpenAI released GPT-5 with promises of smarter performance, while also retiring several older models such as GPT-4o, o3, o4-mini, GPT-4.1, and GPT-4.5. The move drew ire from some users who relied on those variants for daily tasks and workflows, with reports of paid subscribers canceling their plans on Reddit.

OpenAI has argued that GPT-5 is a step forward in accuracy and coding capability, but critics say the upgrade is a downgrade for their preferred tools. The company faced questions about user sentiment and transition plans as some users described a loss of familiar features and a sense of reduced usefulness. In response to the backlash, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman indicated changes: he said GPT-5 would be rolled out to all users while a plan to restore at least one older model for Plus subscribers would be tested, and he acknowledged an earlier autoswitcher bug that briefly made GPT-5 seem less capable.

The friction around GPT-5 shows a broader truth about AI products: users grow attached to specific tools, and sudden changes can threaten trust as much as performance. OpenAI’s pledge to reintroduce an older model for some users signals a fragile balance between innovation and continuity. The episode also reveals the power of user communities in shaping product perception, and it raises questions about how aggressively a company should retire legacy features and how transparent it should be about migration paths for paying customers.

Highlights

As AI tools become daily companions, product teams must weigh speed and sentiment with equal care.