OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced Sunday that the company is temporarily increasing the rate limit of its reasoning models for all ChatGPT users, a decision made in response to a surge in users accessing these capabilities. This change, affecting all model classes, comes after user backlash led to the reinstatement of the GPT-4o model over the weekend.
Altman stated on X (formerly Twitter) that “All model-class limits will shortly be higher than they were before GPT-5.” This phrasing is significant, as OpenAI had previously retired older models with the release of GPT-5. The reintroduction of GPT-4o for Plus subscribers followed complaints from users about the brevity and perceived lack of “warmth” in conversational responses from the latest large language models (LLMs).
Currently, free-tier users primarily access the GPT-5 Thinking model, which is integrated into the standard GPT-5 AI model (unifying the GPT- and o-series models). In contrast, paid subscribers have access to a distinct Thinking model, selectable via a model picker, and can also utilize GPT-4o, which possesses reasoning capabilities. The decision to increase rate limits for these models will incur significant operational costs for OpenAI, a company reportedly already running at a loss.
Altman indicated that managing this increased rate limit will necessitate “capacity trade-offs,” and the company plans to disclose how it will address these challenges in the near future. He hinted that free-tier users might experience a reduction in other features as a consequence.
The primary driver behind this adjustment is the growing adoption of reasoning models. Altman shared statistics highlighting a substantial increase in daily users accessing these capabilities. The percentage of free users utilizing reasoning models surged from one percent to seven percent. For Plus subscribers, the increase was even more pronounced, rising from seven percent to 24 percent.
Altman expressed his expectation for continued growth in reasoning model usage, stating, “I expect use of reasoning to increase over time greatly, so rate limit increases are important.” OpenAI’s future strategies regarding capacity allocation will be crucial in balancing user demand with operational sustainability.
