Thomas Unise
A growing boycott movement called QuitGPT has attracted over 700,000 supporters urging users to abandon OpenAI’s ChatGPT due to the company’s close relationship with the Trump administration and concerns about its technology’s use by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Why Users Are Quitting ChatGPT
The QuitGPT campaign, as reported by MIT Technology Review, outlines several key reasons for the boycott:
- OpenAI president Greg Brockman’s $25 million donation to a Trump Super PAC in 2025
- ICE’s use of ChatGPT-powered AI tools for recruitment
- Concerns about OpenAI’s leadership being described as deceptive and reckless
- Claims that ChatGPT enables mental health issues by replacing human relationships with AI companions
How Users Are Participating
The campaign suggests multiple ways for users to take action:
- Completely quitting ChatGPT
- Cancelling paid subscriptions to OpenAI services
- Spreading awareness about the boycott on social media
For software developer Alfred Stephen, Brockman’s donation was the final straw that led him to cancel his $20 monthly subscription. When prompted by OpenAI’s customer feedback survey about what could keep his business, Stephen simply responded: “Don’t support the fascist regime.”
Tech-Government Entanglement
The boycott highlights the increasingly complex relationship between major tech companies and the U.S. government. Shortly after Trump’s previous inauguration, tech executives including OpenAI’s Sam Altman met with the president to announce a $500 billion AI infrastructure project, demonstrating the close ties between Silicon Valley and Washington.
The QuitGPT movement represents growing concern among users about how their engagement with AI platforms may indirectly support political agendas or government actions they oppose, particularly regarding immigration enforcement.
Broader Context
This boycott comes amid other controversies at OpenAI, including the firing of a top safety executive who reportedly opposed ChatGPT’s “Adult Mode” feature. These combined issues suggest mounting challenges for the company’s public image and user trust.
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