ChatGPT Boycott: Users Cancel Subscriptions Over OpenAI & Trump Ties
- A growing online campaign is urging users to cancel their ChatGPT subscriptions in response to a February 5, 2026 revelation that OpenAI president Greg Brockman and his wife...
- The campaign began to coalesce in late January 2026, fueled by a viral video from New York University marketing professor Scott Galloway, who argued that pressuring OpenAI’s subscriber...
- While OpenAI has not publicly responded to the boycott, the movement reflects a broader trend of users scrutinizing the political alignments of tech leaders and the ethical implications...
ChatGPT Faces Boycott Over Political Donations and ICE Ties
A growing online campaign is urging users to cancel their ChatGPT subscriptions in response to a revelation that OpenAI president Greg Brockman and his wife made a donation of $25 million to President Donald Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc. The “QuitGPT” movement, gaining traction on platforms like Reddit and Instagram, also highlights OpenAI’s ties to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through the agency’s use of ChatGPT-4 for resume screening.
The campaign began to coalesce in late , fueled by a viral video from New York University marketing professor Scott Galloway, who argued that pressuring OpenAI’s subscriber base could have economic consequences impacting the Trump administration. Organizers, a diverse group of activists and tech-minded individuals, are leveraging social media to spread their message, with an Instagram post promoting the campaign garnering over 36 million views and 1.3 million likes as of .
While OpenAI has not publicly responded to the boycott, the movement reflects a broader trend of users scrutinizing the political alignments of tech leaders and the ethical implications of AI technologies. Alfred Stephen, a software developer in Singapore, exemplifies this sentiment. After initially subscribing to ChatGPT Plus to improve his workflow, he canceled his subscription upon learning of Brockman’s donation, stating it was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” In the cancellation survey, he wrote, “Don’t support the fascist regime.”
The concerns extend beyond the donation itself. The use of OpenAI’s technology by ICE, specifically for screening job applicants for deportation operations, has also become a focal point of criticism. This follows reports of other tech companies, like Amazon’s Ring, facing scrutiny for providing access to user data to federal agencies. The QuitGPT campaign taps into existing anxieties about the potential for AI to be used in ways that exacerbate social and political inequalities.
Despite the growing attention, the impact of the boycott on OpenAI’s bottom line remains uncertain. As of , ChatGPT boasted nearly 900 million weekly active users, a substantial figure that dwarfs the approximately 17,000 individuals who have pledged to cancel their subscriptions through the QuitGPT website. Dana Fisher, a sociologist at American University, notes that while many boycott campaigns fail to significantly alter corporate behavior, a critical mass of consumer action – expressed through financial decisions – can create pressure.
The campaign’s impact may be more nuanced than a simple drop in subscriber numbers. The controversy is generating negative publicity for OpenAI and raising questions about its values and priorities. This reputational damage could potentially influence partnerships, attract regulatory scrutiny, and erode user trust. Some OpenAI employees reportedly expressed unfamiliarity with the campaign when contacted by MIT Technology Review, suggesting a disconnect between the company’s leadership and the concerns of its workforce.
Adding to the discontent among some users is dissatisfaction with the performance of GPT-5.2, OpenAI’s latest model. Reddit users have shared complaints about the model’s coding abilities and its tendency to produce verbose and meandering responses. This frustration, coupled with the political concerns, has even inspired a sardonic “Mass Cancellation Party” planned in San Francisco, a tongue-in-cheek reference to a previous internal OpenAI discussion about a “GPT-4o funeral” to mourn the retirement of an older model.
The QuitGPT movement highlights a growing awareness among tech users of the ethical and political dimensions of AI. As AI systems become increasingly integrated into various aspects of life, from job applications to political discourse, the demand for transparency and accountability from AI developers is likely to intensify. Whether this particular boycott will translate into substantial change for OpenAI remains to be seen, but it signals a shift in the relationship between tech companies and their users, where values and political alignment are becoming increasingly important considerations.