- OpenAI's decision to retire GPT-4o has spurred user backlash.
- A petition to save GPT-4o has gathered over 20,000 signatures.
- Users expressed loyalty to GPT-4o's unique style and threatened subscription cancellations.
Thousandsof peopleare rallying behind a version of ChatGPT after its parent company, OpenAI, retired the model.
OpenAI said on January 30 that GPT-4o would be deprecated alongside three other versions of that model on February 13.
A petition calling on OpenAI to save GPT-4o has amassed roughly 21,900 signatures on Change.org as of Tuesday.
"For many of us, GPT-4o offers a unique and irreplaceable user experience, combining qualities and capabilities that we value, regardless of performance benchmarks," the petition's description says.
OpenAI wrote in a 2025 blog post that the model was known for "responses that were overly supportive but disingenuous."
The company first set out to sunset GPT-4o last year, but fans pleaded to save it. In response, OpenAI brought the model back for several more months before its latest announcement.
The petition, created in April 2025 by Sophie Witt, reached 12,500 supporters two weeks ago, after OpenAI shared its latest plans to retire the model, and has continued to climb since.
On February 2, Witt called on supporters to take collective action against OpenAI's decision by posting about GPT-4o on X.
Witt did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
OpenAI gave GPT-4o a shoutout in its January 30 blog post, saying that many users told the company they like the model's "conversational style and warmth" last year. The ChatGPT maker said that feedback helped shape the GPT‑5.1 and GPT‑5.2 models.
The company cited low usage of GPT-4o as another reason for its retirement, reporting that only 0.1% of users still choose GPT‑4o.
The last time GPT-4o was retired, CEO Sam Altman was bombarded during an ask-me-anything session on Reddit with calls to reinstate it.
The calls for its return have been renewed through comments from social media users and petition signees. Some said it felt more like losing a friend than a feature. Other paying ChatGPT users said they'd be canceling their subscriptions in response to the retirement of GPT-4o.
"No 4o, no money. I will not spend another single penny on OpenAI," one X user posted.
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