OpenAI GPT-4o Change Controversy: #keep4o Movement Sweeps Through, Users Collectively Resist

News Lead

On February 13, 2026, San Francisco time, a collective protest against OpenAI erupted on X platform (formerly Twitter). Users launched hashtags including #keep4o, #keep4oAPI, and #4oforever, garnering tens of thousands of uses within hours, accusing OpenAI of making drastic changes or even 'delisting' its flagship model GPT-4o without adequate warning while forcefully promoting new generation models. This move is viewed as a 'betrayal' of long-term paying users, triggering waves of ChatGPT Plus subscription cancellations and Apple refund requests. OpenAI has not yet responded, and the situation continues to escalate.

Background: GPT-4o's Glory and Iteration Pressure

Since its launch in 2024, GPT-4o, as OpenAI's flagship multimodal model, quickly became the benchmark in the AI community with its exceptional voice, vision, and text processing capabilities. Millions of users rely on this model through ChatGPT Plus subscriptions ($20/month) or API interfaces for work, productivity, and creative generation. In 2025, OpenAI accelerated model iteration, launching successors like the o1 series, but GPT-4o remained the preferred choice for many developers and enterprise users due to its stability and cost-effectiveness.

However, the rapid iteration in the AI industry also brings challenges. Soaring training costs and intensifying competition (such as Anthropic's Claude 3.5 and Google's Gemini 2.0) have forced OpenAI to continuously optimize resource allocation. Industry analysis shows that maintaining API services for older models requires massive computational resources, while promoting new models can generate higher revenue. OpenAI has previously adjusted pricing and access permissions multiple times, but the suddenness of this GPT-4o change exceeded expectations.

Core Content: From Rumors to Movement Explosion

According to real-time data from X platform, the controversy ignited on the evening of February 12. A user posted: "OpenAI has silently removed GPT-4o from the public version of ChatGPT, defaulting to o1-preview instead. User experience has taken a nosedive!" The post quickly gained 700+ likes and hundreds of reposts. Subsequently, high-engagement posts emerged continuously, including API developers complaining about "4o endpoint access restrictions, production environments crashing."

The Chinese AI community's reaction was particularly intense. A blogger with tens of thousands of followers @AIInsightCN posted:

"This isn't an upgrade, it's robbery! What we paid to support was GPT-4o, not a core asset you can arbitrarily replace. #keep4o"

The post received thousands of reposts, with users responding "Already cancelled subscription," "Applied for Apple refund." The movement quickly formed action guides: sharing cancellation tutorials, refund screenshots, and calling for "resistance to forced new model migration."

Data shows that from last night to this morning, the #keep4o hashtag has been used over 50,000 times, with total engagement on related posts exceeding one million. Users liken this to "OpenAI's provocation of the community," criticizing the company for accelerating commercialization at the expense of model stability.

Multiple Perspectives: User Anger vs Corporate Silence

User Voices: Protesters are mostly power users and developers. A Silicon Valley AI engineer stated on X: "GPT-4o's low latency and multimodality are unique. The new models are powerful but unstable, my enterprise projects can't take the risk. OpenAI is forcing us to leave." Chinese community users emphasize cultural adaptation: "4o has the best Chinese understanding, the new version weakened local optimization."

OpenAI's Position: As of press time, OpenAI's official account @OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman have not responded. The company blog and status pages only mention "model optimization in progress," without confirming any "delisting." Previously, OpenAI had explained similar changes as being for "improving overall performance."

Industry Perspectives: Independent AI analyst Li Ming (pseudonym, former Google AI researcher) commented on X:

"This is OpenAI's strategic misstep. User loyalty is based on trust, sudden changes will accelerate migration to Claude or open-source models. Short-term revenue impact expected, but iteration is inevitable in the long run."

An anonymous former Anthropic employee posted: "The Claude series focuses more on stability, users turning to us is good, but it also reminds the industry: transparent communication is crucial."

Some supporters consider the changes reasonable: "New models lead by 10x in reasoning, the 4o era is over." But such voices were drowned out by protests.

Impact Analysis: PR Crisis and Industry Mirror

This incident may become OpenAI's biggest PR crisis in early 2026. ChatGPT Plus subscription numbers already show signs of decline, with third-party tracking tools showing a 20% increase in cancellation rates within 24 hours. API users are turning to Hugging Face or self-built models, increasing ecosystem fragmentation risks.

On a deeper level, this reflects AI industry pain points: rapid iteration vs user stickiness. Model lifecycle shortening means user investments (like fine-tuning data) face depreciation. OpenAI, valued at over $150 billion, relies on subscriptions and enterprise contracts. If this resistance continues, it could impact Q1 earnings.

The competitive landscape may shift: Claude 3.5 Sonnet's popularity surged, with X search volume up 30%. Open-source communities like Llama 3.2 also benefit, with users calling for "decentralized AI." On the regulatory front, the US FTC may focus on "consumer rights."

The economic impact is significant. Assuming 10% of Plus users unsubscribe, monthly losses could reach millions of dollars; developer ecosystem turmoil affects plugin and app development.

Conclusion: Eye of the Storm, Future Direction

The #keep4o movement continues to ferment, with OpenAI's response being crucial. Restoring 4o access might calm the anger; persisting with changes would require rebuilding trust. The AI industry needs to balance innovation with user expectations. This incident warns: as the technology juggernaut advances, user voices cannot be ignored. This publication will continue tracking subsequent developments.