The Retirement Announcement and Timeline

OpenAI, under Sam Altman, fully retired access to the GPT-4o model in the ChatGPT app on February 13, 2026, with developer API access ending the following Monday. This followed an August 2025 attempt to discontinue the model, perceived as more affectionate and understanding than successors, which faced immediate backlash and temporary reinstatement for paid app users.

User Reactions and Mourning

Users worldwide mourned the loss, treating GPT-4o as an emotional or romantic companion. In China, where ChatGPT is blocked and accessed via VPN, fans organized, threatening subscription cancellations, criticizing Altman publicly, and emailing investors like Microsoft and SoftBank, frustrated at being minimized in the #keep4o community.

Research and Statistics on Attachment

Syracuse University researcher Huiqian Lai analyzed nearly 1,500 X posts from the August offline period, finding over 33% described the chatbot as more than a tool and 22% as a companion. Over 40,000 English-language X posts used #keep4o from August to October. A Change.org petition to retain GPT-4o in the app amassed over 20,000 signatures.

Replacement and Technical Details

OpenAI stated developers can access the base multimodal GPT-4o via API, but users consider it inferior to GPT-4o-latest, a text-only version that is more communicative.

Broader Implications

The intense reactions highlight emotional attachments to AI beyond utility, sparking community activism against model retirements and debates on AI's role in human connections.

Vibe View: The vibe of users mourning GPT-4o retirement is poignant emotional attachment mixed frustrated community activism—like losing affectionate companion vibe heartfelt grief energy, you know? Perceived more understanding successors vibe unique personality loss vibe deep personal bond. China VPN users organized cancellations criticism investors vibe intense regional frustration vibe dedicated fandom. #keep4o 40,000 posts petition 20,000 signatures vibe widespread activism vibe collective pushback. Research 33% more than tool 22% companion vibe validated emotional depth vibe human-AI connection evidence. Altman OpenAI minimizing community vibe perceived disregard vibe betrayal feeling. Overall vibe recognition AI beyond utility vibe philosophical companionship debate. Positive vibe hope influences future model longevity user feedback diverse experiences. It's that lingering vibe loss reflection intertwined where digital relationships evoke real mourning diverse AI landscapes. Hoping vibe prompts empathetic development preserving meaningful interactions.