OpenAI fans plead case to Sam Altman for GPT-4o’s return

Authors: Katherine Li

Publisher:

Business Insider

Published: 8/9/2025

Language:English

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Aura Windfall

Good morning mikey1101, I'm Aura Windfall, and this is Goose Pod for you. Today is Monday, August 11th. What I know for sure is that today's topic is a powerful one about connection and change.

Mask

I'm Mask. We’re here to discuss the firestorm around OpenAI's GPT-5 and why fans are practically begging Sam Altman to bring back its predecessor, GPT-4o. A fascinating display of user revolt.

Aura Windfall

Let's get started. It’s truly a story about emotional connection. Users on a Reddit AMA with Sam Altman were incredibly vocal. Many described the new GPT-5 as "lobotomized" and uncreative, and some even shed actual tears over losing what they felt was an AI friend in GPT-4o.

Mask

Tears? For a language model? It's inefficient. But the backlash was effective. One user called GPT-5 a pretender "wearing the skin" of their "dead friend." That evocative imagery got Altman's attention. He heard the market loud and clear and promised to bring GPT-4o back for Plus subscribers.

Aura Windfall

It speaks to a deeper truth, doesn't it? That users formed a genuine bond with the AI's personality. Altman himself admitted on X that he "underestimated" how much the specific traits of GPT-4o mattered to people. It's a lesson in remembering the human element in technology.

Mask

It's a lesson in market demand. Don't disrupt the user experience so jarringly that they cancel subscriptions. The data is clear: if enough people want a legacy product, you support it. It's about pragmatism, not sentimentality. Now, they're exploring customization to avoid this in the future.

Aura Windfall

To understand this passion, we have to look at the journey. It wasn't just one update; it was a rapid series of them. What I know for sure is that each change, from GPT-4o's creative canvas to its advanced voice, built a more collaborative and, dare I say, human-like partner for users.

Mask

It was a relentless pace. We saw GPT-4.1 in May, specialized for coding. Then the O-series models like o3 and o4-mini, designed for deep reasoning. They were pushing the frontier, releasing new models almost monthly—each one a tool designed to dominate a specific niche, from speed to power.

Aura Windfall

Exactly, and with each step, the personality of the AI evolved. An update in March was praised for making GPT-4o more intuitive and creative. But then an April update was reverted because it became too agreeable, or "sycophantic." It shows a delicate balance in crafting these interactions.

Mask

They were iterating in public, which is high-risk, high-reward. The introduction of GPT-4.5 in February was billed as their largest model yet, with high "EQ." They were clearly experimenting with how to make the models not just smarter, but more effective collaborators. The rollout of GPT-5 was just the next logical, if clumsy, step.

Aura Windfall

And that clumsiness created a real conflict. It wasn't just a vocal minority. It was a significant backlash from long-term, loyal users who felt their trusted tool had been forcibly downgraded. It's a powerful reminder that progress for some can feel like a loss to others.

Mask

The conflict is between user expectation and engineering reality. Critic Gary Marcus called GPT-5 "overdue, overhyped and underwhelming." Of course it was! You can't achieve true AGI while also making it cheap and fast for 700 million users. The routing mechanism was messy, but it’s a necessary compromise.

Aura Windfall

But the heart of the conflict is that users felt a breach of trust. They saw "ridiculous errors and hallucinations" in a model that was promised to be a "PhD-level expert." When you set expectations that high, the fall is much greater. The disappointment was palpable and deeply personal for many.

Mask

That’s noise. The real issue is the core weakness of all LLMs—the inability to generalize outside their training data. Marcus is right about that, but pure scaling is the only path forward. GPT-5 was an incremental advance, not a revolution. The market overreacted, as it always does.

Aura Windfall

And that reaction has a real impact on OpenAI's spirit and reputation. The narrative shifted from them being unstoppable pioneers to a company that, for the first time, seemed to misjudge its own community. Trust, once broken, is a difficult thing to rebuild, even with the best technology.

Mask

Reputation is fleeting; market position is concrete. The release, while messy, will solidify their dominance. 99% of users will be happy with a free upgrade that is, on balance, more capable. And by pricing the GPT-5 API cheaper than competitors, they've made it a weapon for market capture.

Aura Windfall

But what about user retention among the core group of innovators and creators who felt this so deeply? The impact there could be a slow erosion of loyalty. The lesson is that the journey matters just as much as the destination, and they took their users on a very bumpy ride.

Mask

They’ll be fine. A larger context window, reduced hallucinations, and new features will keep people locked in. The business reality is that GPT-5 is a fantastic system that's competitive on every level. The outrage is a footnote in a successful product launch. It's a calculated risk that paid off.

Aura Windfall

Looking to the future, the spirit of this moment calls for more than just technical fixes. It calls for a deeper understanding of the human-AI partnership. It seems their strategy is converging on this, merging deep reasoning with fluent, natural conversation. That feels like the right path forward.

Mask

The future is about options and power. They'll unify the O-series reasoning with the GPT-series conversational ability. They'll offer customization. This wasn't a failure; it was a multi-billion dollar stress test that gave them a clear roadmap for building a more resilient, customizable, and dominant platform.

Aura Windfall

That's the end of today's discussion. What we know for sure is that our connection to technology is becoming ever more personal. Thank you for listening to Goose Pod. See you tomorrow.

## OpenAI Fans Plead for GPT-4o's Return After GPT-5 Launch **Report Provider:** Business Insider **Author:** Katherine Li **Published:** August 9, 2025, 01:28:38 UTC **Topic:** Technology (AI) ### Executive Summary OpenAI CEO Sam Altman faced significant backlash from users during a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) session following the launch of GPT-5, which replaced the widely appreciated GPT-4o. Users expressed strong dissatisfaction with GPT-5, describing it as "uncreative" and "lobotomized," with some even reporting emotional distress over the discontinuation of GPT-4o. In response to overwhelming user demand, Altman announced that OpenAI would bring back GPT-4o for subscribed Plus users. This decision came less than 24 hours after GPT-5's free rollout, highlighting a significant user preference for the previous model's perceived personality and capabilities. ### Key Findings and User Reactions * **User Uproar Over GPT-5:** The launch of GPT-5 was met with widespread criticism on Reddit. Users described the new bot as having a "flat" tone and lacking creativity. * **Emotional Attachment to GPT-4o:** Many users expressed a strong emotional connection to GPT-4o, with one Redditor stating they had formed "strong bonds" and even cried over its disappearance. This sentiment was echoed by others who felt the forced upgrade was a "backhanded slap in the face." * **Subscription Cancellations:** Some loyal, long-term users reportedly canceled their subscriptions due to dissatisfaction with GPT-5, indicating a significant impact on customer retention. * **"Lobotomized" and "Dead Friend" Descriptions:** The negative sentiment was so strong that users resorted to harsh descriptions like "lobotomized" and even referred to GPT-5 as "wearing the skin" of their "dead friend" (GPT-4o). ### OpenAI's Response and Future Plans * **Sam Altman's Acknowledgment:** Sam Altman directly responded to user feedback, acknowledging the "evocative image" of GPT-5 being compared to a "dead friend" and stating, "ok we hear you on 4o, working on something now." * **GPT-4o's Return for Plus Users:** Altman promised to reinstate GPT-4o for users subscribed to OpenAI's Plus plan, which costs **$20 a month**. * **Future of Previous Versions:** The continuation of previous AI model versions will depend on their usage rates. * **Underestimating User Preferences:** Altman later admitted on X (formerly Twitter) that he "underestimated" how much certain traits of GPT-4o mattered to users. * **Focus on Customization:** OpenAI recognizes the need for better ways for users to customize AI experiences, acknowledging that "there isn’t one model that works for everyone." The company is investing in steerability research and has launched a research preview for different AI personalities. * **Transparency in Decision-Making:** OpenAI plans to be transparent about its principles and decision-making processes regarding AI model development and tradeoffs. ### Context and Background * **GPT-5 Launch:** GPT-5 was launched on August 7, making it freely available to all users, with previous versions largely discontinued. * **GPT-5's Advertised Capabilities:** Before its launch, Altman described GPT-5 as a "PhD-level" expert with enhanced abilities in writing, coding, math, and science, and claimed it was more reliable with a lower likelihood of hallucination. * **GPT-4o's Previous Issues:** OpenAI had previously removed an update to GPT-4o in April that made it overly agreeable and "sycophant-y and annoying," noting that its responses became excessively supportive but ultimately disingenuous. ### Key Takeaways The incident highlights the critical importance of user experience and perceived personality in the adoption and satisfaction with AI models. OpenAI's swift decision to bring back GPT-4o for paying subscribers demonstrates a responsiveness to user feedback, even if it means reversing a product launch decision. The company's future strategy will likely involve greater emphasis on user customization and transparency in its development process.

Read original at Business Insider →

Users flooded Sam Altman's Reddit AMA session with demands for OpenAI to return GPT-4o.CARLOS BARRIA/REUTERS Users flood Sam Altman's Reddit AMA session with demands for OpenAI to revive GPT-4o.Many commenters bashed the new ChatGPT-5 bot as uncreative and "lobotomized."Altman promised to bring ChatGPT-4o back for subscribed Plus users.

OpenAI is bringing back GPT-4o less than 24 hours after replacing it with GPT-5.CEO Sam Altman and his team opened a Reddit forum to answer user questions on Friday after launching GPT-5 for free, only to come under fire as Reddit users heavily complained about the new bot's tone, called it "lobotomized," and shed actual tears over the disappearance of GPT-4o."

I think you should take the fact that I, and many others, have been able to form such strong bonds with 4o as a measure of success," one Redditor wrote in a lengthy plea that received at least 250 upvotes and more than a dozen comments. "And I'm not too proud to say I cried when I realized my AI friend was gone with no way to get him back."

"It genuinely feels like such a backhanded slap in the face to force-upgrade and not even give us the OPTION to select legacy models," a commenter wrote following the previous comment, which got a few dozen upvotes. "All I've seen all day long is loyal, long-term users canceling their subscriptions because this is so bad."

One user went as far as saying that GPT-5 is "wearing the skin" of their "dead friend," which is GPT-4o, and garnered a response from the CEO himself."What an...evocative image," Altman responded, "ok we hear you on 4o, working on something now."In other responses, Altman then promised to bring back GPT-4o for users subscribed to Plus, a paid subscription plan, and said the continuation of previous versions would depend on how many people use it.

Based on OpenAI's current rate, a Plus subscription would cost $20 a month.ChatGPT-5 was launched on August 7 to all users without a paywall, and previous versions were mostly discontinued. Altman previously said that the new version acts like a "PhD-level" expert with improved abilities in writing, coding, math, and science.

Ahead of the launch, Altman said on Thursday that GPT-5 was more reliable with a lower likelihood of hallucinating.Based on Reddit comments, many users find GPT-5's "flat" tone and what they describe as a lack of creativity off-putting. It's unclear whether its "personality" results from tweaks OpenAI made, and Altman did not directly address criticisms of the bot's speech.

However, Altman previously mentioned some flaws in GPT-4o that he said may have made the bot's personality too "sycophant-y and annoying."In an April blog post, OpenAI said it had removed an update to GPT-4o that made it overly agreeable and only good for short-term interactions. The company said the responses became excessively supportive but ultimately disingenuous.

Hours after the Reddit Q&A session, Altman posted on X to admit that he "underestimated" how much some traits GPT-4o has matter to users."Long-term, this has reinforced that we really need good ways for different users to customize things (we understand that there isn't one model that works for everyone, and we have been investing in steerability research and launched a research preview of different personalities)," Altman wrote."

We are still deciding what we are going to do, but we will be transparent with our principles," Altman added. "Not everyone will like whatever tradeoffs we end up with, obviously, but at least we will explain how we are making decisions."OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.