isnaini azizah
Alfred Stephen, a freelance software developer based in Singapore, exemplifies the sentiment driving the QuitGPT campaign. Initially subscribing to ChatGPT Plus for $20 a month to enhance his workflow, Stephen found himself increasingly frustrated by the chatbot’s perceived deficiencies in coding assistance and its tendency towards verbose, uninspired responses. His disaffection intensified upon discovering a Reddit post detailing the QuitGPT initiative. This campaign not only encouraged users to cancel their subscriptions but also drew attention to a substantial donation made by OpenAI President Greg Brockman to President Donald Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc. Furthermore, QuitGPT spotlighted the utilization of a resume-screening tool powered by ChatGPT-4 by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an agency that has recently become a focal point of political controversy following fatal incidents in Minneapolis. For Stephen, who had already begun exploring alternative chatbots, Brockman’s political donation served as the decisive factor. "That’s really the straw that broke the camel’s back," he stated. Upon canceling his subscription, a survey prompted him to provide a reason for his departure. His candid response was, "Don’t support the fascist regime."
QuitGPT represents one of the most recent manifestations of a growing trend among activists and disaffected users to vocally protest and withdraw support from AI services. In recent weeks, platforms like Reddit have been inundated with personal accounts of users abandoning ChatGPT. Many expressed disappointment with the performance of GPT-5.2, the latest iteration of the model. Others contributed to a burgeoning culture of memes satirizing the chatbot’s often obsequious responses. Some users even organized a "Mass Cancellation Party" in San Francisco, a sardonic counterpoint to a proposed "GPT-4o funeral" floated by an OpenAI employee, which playfully mocked users mourning the impending retirement of older AI models. A significant segment of the campaign, however, is rooted in a protest against what is perceived as an escalating alliance between OpenAI and the Trump administration. OpenAI did not respond to requests for comment regarding the campaign.
As of December 2025, ChatGPT boasted nearly 900 million weekly active users, according to data from The Information. While the exact number of participants in the boycott remains undisclosed, QuitGPT has undeniably garnered considerable attention. A recent Instagram post by the campaign has amassed over 36 million views and 1.3 million likes. Campaign organizers report that more than 17,000 individuals have registered on their website, indicating their subscription status, commitment to discontinuing ChatGPT usage, or willingness to promote the campaign on social media.
Dana Fisher, a sociologist at American University, observes that while many such campaigns may falter, QuitGPT shows potential for impact. She explains that a surge in canceled subscriptions typically requires reaching a critical mass to influence a company’s behavior. "The place where there’s a pressure point that might work is where the consumer behavior is if enough people actually use their… money to express their political opinions," Fisher noted. MIT Technology Review reached out to three OpenAI employees, none of whom indicated familiarity with the QuitGPT campaign.
The QuitGPT initiative was conceived and organized in late January by a diverse group of left-leaning young adults across the United States. This coalition encompasses pro-democracy activists, climate organizers, tech professionals, and self-proclaimed cyber libertarians, many of whom possess prior experience in grassroots activism. Their inspiration stemmed from a viral video shared by Scott Galloway, a marketing professor at New York University and host of The Prof G Pod. Galloway argued that boycotting ChatGPT subscriptions could be an effective strategy to counter ICE’s operations. He posited that diminishing OpenAI’s subscriber base could trigger ripple effects in the stock market, potentially leading to an economic downturn that would influence Trump.
An organizer of QuitGPT, who requested anonymity due to fears of retaliation from OpenAI, citing the company’s recent subpoenas against nonprofit advocates, articulated the campaign’s broader objectives. "We make a big enough stink for OpenAI that all of the companies in the whole AI industry have to think about whether they’re going to get away enabling Trump and ICE and authoritarianism," they stated. The organizer identified OpenAI as a logical initial target but emphasized that "this is about so much more than just OpenAI."
Simon Rosenblum-Larson, a labor organizer in Madison, Wisconsin, who advocates for the regulation of data center development, joined the campaign after encountering it through Signal chats among community activists. "The goal here is to pull away the support pillars of the Trump administration. They’re reliant on many of these tech billionaires for support and for resources," he explained. QuitGPT’s website prominently features recent campaign finance reports revealing that Greg Brockman and his wife each contributed $12.5 million to MAGA Inc., collectively accounting for nearly a quarter of the super PAC’s approximately $102 million raised in the latter half of 2025. The information regarding ICE’s use of a resume-screening tool powered by ChatGPT-4 was sourced from an AI inventory published by the Department of Homeland Security in January.
QuitGPT aligns with Scott Galloway’s recently launched campaign, "Resist and Unsubscribe," which encourages consumers to cancel subscriptions to Big Tech platforms, including ChatGPT, throughout February. This boycott serves as a protest against companies "driving the markets and enabling our president." Galloway expressed to MIT Technology Review that "A lot of people are feeling real anxiety." He added, "You take enabling a president, proximity to the president, and an unease around AI, and now people are starting to take action with their wallets." Galloway claims his campaign’s website experiences over 200,000 unique visits daily and that he receives dozens of direct messages every hour showcasing screenshots of canceled subscriptions.
These consumer boycotts are occurring alongside increasing pressure from within the tech companies themselves. In recent weeks, tech workers have been advocating for their employers to leverage their political influence to demand ICE’s withdrawal from US cities, cancel company contracts with the agency, and publicly condemn its actions. This pressure appears to be yielding results. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly stated in an internal Slack message to employees that ICE is "going too far." Apple CEO Tim Cook, in an internal memo shared with employees, called for "deescalation" following recent ICE-related shootings. These statements represent a notable departure from the past, when Big Tech CEOs frequently courted President Trump through dinners and donations.
While initially spurred by a fatal immigration crackdown, these developments signal the growing momentum of a broader anti-AI movement. Organizers believe these campaigns are tapping into widespread anxieties surrounding AI, including concerns about the energy consumption of data centers, the proliferation of deepfake pornography, the impact on teen mental health, potential job displacement, and the general issue of "slop" in AI-generated content. "It’s a really strange set of coalitions built around the AI movement," Rosenblum-Larson commented.
David Karpf, a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University, suggests that these are opportune conditions for a movement to emerge. He noted that Brockman’s donation to Trump’s super PAC caught many users by surprise. "In the longer arc, we are going to see users respond and react to Big Tech, deciding that they’re not okay with this," Karpf predicted.
