GPT-5 rollout faces bumps as Sam Altman promises fixes

Key Points

• GPT-5 rollout faces bumps as Sam Altman promises fixes
• GPT-5 launch hit with router glitch, making it seem “dumber”
• Users push to bring back GPT-4o for Plus subscribers
• Altman vows doubled rate limits and more transparency
• “Chart crime” blunder adds humor to an otherwise rocky debut

The debut of OpenAI’s latest flagship AI model, GPT-5, hasn’t been all smooth sailing.

During a Reddit AMA on Friday, CEO Sam Altman addressed mounting user concerns about the GPT-5 rollout, confirmed a key technical glitch, hinted at the return of GPT-4o, and even laughed off a viral “chart crime” moment from the launch event.

If you missed the initial announcement of its features, here’s a breakdown of the GPT-5 launch upgrades for free users that set the stage for this rollout.

Sam Altman says,

GPT-5 rollout had more glitches, delays, or disruptions than they had planned for

he confirmed:

– plus user rate limits doubling
– considering keeping GPT-4o for plus users
– UI update coming for easier manual thinking pic.twitter.com/wujai0v4A9

— Haider. (@slow_developer) August 8, 2025

Users say GPT-5 feels off, Altman blames the router

One of the biggest talking points was a new “real-time router” system built into GPT-5. This tool decides, on the fly, whether to give a lightning-fast response or take extra time for deeper reasoning. The aim is to optimize speed and intelligence based on each prompt.

But on launch day, that system failed.

According to Altman, the router went down for a “chunk of the day,” causing GPT-5 to behave far below its intended performance. “GPT-5 will seem smarter starting today,” Altman assured. “Yesterday, we had a sev, and the autoswitcher was out of commission… the result was GPT-5 seemed way dumber.”

GPT-5 rollout update from @sama

Always begins with highly restrictive limits and then quickly increases them pic.twitter.com/lLzsjgsG4V

— Matt Hofstadt (@MattHofstadt) August 9, 2025

The glitch left some users convinced GPT-4o,  the previous model, was performing better. Reddit’s r/ChatGPT thread was full of requests to bring GPT-4o back for paying Plus subscribers. Altman didn’t dismiss the idea, saying the team is “looking into” it while gathering data on tradeoffs between models.

On top of that, OpenAI will double the rate limits for Plus users as the GPT-5 rollout finishes, giving subscribers more room to experiment and adapt workflows to the new model. Altman also promised more transparency so users can see exactly which model,  GPT-5 or otherwise, is handling their prompt.

OpenAI faced swift and intense user backlash just 24 hours after launching GPT-5, with customers expressing outrage over the forced removal of beloved legacy models and workflow disruptions. CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the “bumpy” rollout and announced the company would restore… pic.twitter.com/XPqSG5Nm1i

— AI Blog (@wwwAIblog) August 8, 2025

If usage patterns change significantly, it could even impact the weekly active user count for ChatGPT,  one of the key engagement metrics in the AI space.

The viral “chart crime” and GPT-5’s early quirks

While technical hiccups dominated user feedback, the launch had its lighter side, too. A major presentation slide at the GPT-5 reveal showed a bizarre benchmark chart: one model had a lower score but a much taller bar. The mismatch was so glaring that the AI community quickly dubbed it a “chart crime.”

Altman later called it a “mega chart screwup” on X, but the jokes had already taken off. From sarcastic memes to parody slides, the blunder became an unexpected PR subplot to the GPT-5 rollout. Others noted that the official blog post had the correct charts, but the livestream gaffe was too good for the internet to ignore.

what in the chart crime pic.twitter.com/tQsjck6pNN

— Emad (@EMostaque) August 7, 2025

The humor didn’t mask all of GPT-5’s early rough edges. Simon Willison, an early reviewer who otherwise praised the model’s performance, flagged an odd weakness: converting data into tables. For a system designed to handle nuanced reasoning, the failure was noticeable.

Interestingly, this table formatting gap contrasts with the kind of innovation happening in AI audio tools like Meta AI’s voice waveform generator, showing that different AI domains are advancing at different speeds.

Source: OpenAI

Why GPT-4o might make a comeback for Plus users

The loudest request from the AMA wasn’t just bug fixes — it was to restore GPT-4o as an option for paying users. GPT-4o, known for its speed and balanced performance, had become a favorite among many Plus subscribers.

Some users argued that GPT-5’s reasoning improvements weren’t yet outweighing its slower responses or occasional inconsistencies. Others simply preferred GPT-4o’s style and reliability for their workflows, especially in longer ChatGPT conversations where speed can be critical.

Altman acknowledged the demand, confirming OpenAI is actively assessing whether both models can coexist for Plus members. If it happens, it would give users the freedom to choose speed and familiarity with GPT-4o, or cutting-edge reasoning with GPT-5,  a move that could ease the transition for many.

In the broader AI ecosystem, competition remains fierce. Search-driven tools like Perplexity AI’s web crawlers are pushing the boundaries of AI-assisted information retrieval, keeping the pressure on OpenAI to ensure its models are both accurate and versatile.