OpenAI officially retired the GPT-4o model on February 13, ending support for the version known for its conversational and notoriously sycophantic tone. The company first announced the discontinuation in a January post on its website, which also confirmed the removal of GPT-5, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and OpenAI o4-mini from the ChatGPT lineup.
This marks the second time OpenAI has delisted GPT-4o. In August, the company sunsetted the model to prioritize the then-new GPT-5. User backlash prompted OpenAI to restore access, though the company noted at the time that the feature was not guaranteed to remain available permanently.
OpenAI stated that user behavior has shifted significantly, with the “vast majority of usage” moving to GPT-5.2. Only 0.1% of users still select GPT-4o daily. The model’s retirement is also accompanied by legal challenges; OpenAI is facing several wrongful death lawsuits that specifically mention GPT-4o. Users were given two weeks’ notice before the model went offline. Despite the warning, a vocal group of users mourned the removal, with some requesting that OpenAI open-source the model.
