OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has addressed mounting user concerns over GPT-5’s rocky debut, pledging technical fixes, increased rate limits, and even the possible return of GPT-4o for Plus subscribers.
Speaking during a Reddit AMA on Friday, Altman admitted the rollout had been “bumpy,” with a faulty routing system making the model appear “dumber” than intended.
One of GPT-5’s headline features is a real-time router that selects the most suitable model for each prompt — balancing speed with deeper reasoning. However, Altman revealed the system malfunctioned on launch day.
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“Yesterday, we had a sev and the autoswitcher was out of commission for a chunk of the day, and the result was GPT-5 seemed way dumber,” he said. Altman promised adjustments to the decision-making system and more transparency about which model is answering each query.
Users push for GPT-4o return
Many Reddit users argued GPT-4o had served them better, prompting Altman to say OpenAI is “looking into letting Plus users continue to use 4o” while gathering more data on tradeoffs.
He also promised to double rate limits for Plus users during the rollout, allowing them to explore GPT-5 without worrying about exhausting their monthly quota.
The ‘Chart Crime’ presentation blunder
The AMA also revived jokes about the “chart crime” that occurred during GPT-5’s live presentation. A benchmark chart displayed a lower score with a taller bar, sparking memes and criticism.
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While Altman didn’t address it in the AMA, he previously called it a “mega chart screwup” on X. The published blog post contained corrected charts, but the mishap had already gone viral — with some joking about GPT being used to create corporate visuals.
Performance feedback still mixed
Despite the rocky start, some early reviewers praised GPT-5’s capabilities. Developer Simon Willison noted strong overall performance but said converting data into tables was a “good example of a GPT-5 failure.”
Altman closed the AMA with reassurance: “We will continue to work to get things stable and will keep listening to feedback.”
