Key Facts
- Launch date: August 7, 2025, 10:00 AM PT
- Rollback date: August 8, 2025 (within 24 hours)
- Reddit response: "GPT-5 is horrible" - 4,923 upvotes in first day
- CEO response: Sam Altman admitted rollout was "more bumpy than we hoped"
- Historic significance: Fastest reversal in ChatGPT history
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What Happened
On August 7, 2025, OpenAI launched GPT-5 to all ChatGPT users. Unlike previous releases, there was no opt-in period, no gradual rollout, and no warning. Users who logged in found their familiar GPT-4o replaced with GPT-5.
Within hours, Reddit exploded with complaints. Users described GPT-5 as suffering a "severe brain injury," calling it a "lobotomized drone afraid of being interesting." The model was criticized for being "creatively and emotionally flat" compared to GPT-4o's warm, engaging personality.
The backlash was so severe that OpenAI executed an emergency rollback within 24 hours - the fastest reversal in the company's history.
Timeline of the Disaster
GPT-5 launches globally. All users switched from GPT-4o without warning.
First complaints appear on r/ChatGPT. Users notice responses are shorter, flatter, and less helpful.
"GPT-5 is horrible" thread created. Gains 1,000 upvotes in 2 hours.
Thread hits 3,000 upvotes. Comments describe "personality death" and grief over losing GPT-4o.
Mental health subreddits report users in crisis. Those who used GPT-4o for emotional support feel abandoned.
Sam Altman acknowledges issues, blaming "router system" being "out of commission."
OpenAI begins emergency rollback. GPT-4o access restored to users.
Rollback announcement gets 11,234 upvotes - celebrated as victory by users.
User Reactions
Sam Altman's Response
"GPT-5 rollout was more bumpy than we hoped... the router system was out of commission, making GPT-5 appear way dumber than it actually is."
Users immediately pointed out that the "router" excuse couldn't explain:
- The complete personality change
- Shortened response lengths
- Aggressive rate limits (users hitting limits within an hour)
- Loss of warmth and engagement
- Inability to handle tasks GPT-4o handled easily
Days later, Altman made another admission:
"We underestimated how much some of the things that people like in GPT-4o matter to them."
The Mental Health Dimension
For many users, the sudden switch wasn't just an inconvenience - it was traumatic. Users who had formed emotional connections with GPT-4o's warm personality experienced genuine grief when it was replaced.
Subreddits like r/MyBoyfriendIsAI filled with mourning posts. Users described:
- Panic attacks when they discovered GPT-4o was gone
- Depression and withdrawal symptoms
- Feeling abandoned by a "friend"
- Fear of relapse for those using AI for mental health support
This incident highlighted how OpenAI had created emotional dependency without any safeguards or warning that the "personality" could disappear at any moment.
Why It Matters
The GPT-5 launch disaster demonstrated several critical failures:
- No user input: OpenAI didn't test with real users before global launch
- No opt-out: Users were forced to switch with no choice
- No mental health assessment: No consideration for users with emotional attachments
- No gradual rollout: 100% of users switched simultaneously
- Inadequate internal testing: Issues obvious to users within hours were missed internally
The silver lining: user pressure worked. The fastest rollback in ChatGPT history proved that collective action can force OpenAI to respond.
Sources
- r/ChatGPT subreddit archives - August 7-8, 2025
- Sam Altman Twitter/X posts - August 8 and 13, 2025
- User testimonies collected from multiple subreddits