A “QuitGPT” campaign is urging people to cancel their ChatGPT subscriptions

2026-02-10 · Source: MIT Technology Review · Field: Technology & Digital — Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Emerging Technologies & Innovation, Social Sciences & Behavioral Studies · Depth: Fundamental Awareness, medium

Summary

A "QuitGPT" campaign, launched in late January 2026, is urging users to cancel their ChatGPT Plus subscriptions, which cost $20 a month. The campaign highlights OpenAI president Greg Brockman's $12.5 million donation to Donald Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc., and the use of a ChatGPT-4-powered résumé screening tool by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This movement gained traction after ICE agents fatally shot two people in Minneapolis in January. While ChatGPT had nearly 900 million weekly active users as of December 2025, the QuitGPT campaign's Instagram post has garnered over 36 million views and 1.3 million likes, with over 17,000 people signing up on its website. This initiative is part of a broader anti-AI movement, including Scott Galloway's "Resist and Unsubscribe" campaign, protesting perceived entanglements between AI companies and the Trump administration.

Key takeaway

For CTOs and VPs of Engineering evaluating AI platform dependencies, the QuitGPT campaign signals growing user sensitivity to corporate political ties and ethical implications. Your teams should assess the political and ethical stances of key AI vendors, as public backlash can rapidly impact user adoption and brand perception. Proactively understanding these dynamics can mitigate future reputational and financial risks.

Key insights

User boycotts against AI services can emerge from political affiliations and ethical concerns, impacting corporate behavior.

Principles

• Consumer behavior can exert pressure on corporate decisions.
• Political donations by tech leaders can trigger user backlash.

Method

The QuitGPT campaign organizes online through social media and a dedicated website, encouraging users to cancel subscriptions and share the movement.

In practice

• Monitor executive political donations for potential user sentiment shifts.
• Track social media trends for emerging boycott campaigns.

Topics

• QuitGPT Campaign
• OpenAI Political Donations
• AI Ethics
• ChatGPT Subscriptions
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Best for: CTO, VP of Engineering/Data, Director of AI/ML, Software Engineer, Tech Journalist, AI Ethicist

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by MIT Technology Review.