ChatGPT boycott spreads in the U.S. — why now?

[Financial News] A “QuitGPT” campaign urging users in the United States to cancel their paid subscriptions to OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot is spreading across social media platforms.
The movement gained momentum after it emerged that OpenAI executives had donated large sums to a Super Political Action Committee (Super PAC) backing former U.S. President Donald Trump, and after reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is using tools built on ChatGPT technology.
According to the information technology (IT) industry on the 17th (local time), posts tagged with “QuitGPT” have been proliferating on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Bluesky, with users sharing screenshots of canceled ChatGPT subscriptions and calling for a boycott.
Organizers of the campaign claim that more than 700,000 people have so far declared their participation in the boycott via their website, quitgpt.org, or through social media. They stated, “We will continue the boycott until OpenAI’s leadership pledges to stop funding Trump, the Republican Party and big tech Super PACs,” adding, “We cannot stand by and let them help authoritarianism.”
The campaign is not only urging users to cancel subscriptions but also promoting alternatives. Participants are encouraging people to switch from ChatGPT to open-source AI models, Google’s Gemini, or Anthropic’s Claude. They argue that “ChatGPT’s user base skews young and progressive, but many of them are unaware that alternatives exist.” They also stress that, because OpenAI’s spending still exceeds its revenue, a boycott could exert real financial pressure.
Figures from Hollywood and academia have joined the campaign as well. Mark Ruffalo, who played the Hulk in the Avengers film series, wrote on Instagram, “The president of ChatGPT is one of Trump’s biggest donors, and their technology is empowering ICE,” adding, “It’s time to boycott. QuitGPT.” The post has been viewed more than 40 million times and has received over 2 million likes.
Scott Galloway, a professor at New York University Stern School of Business known for his criticism of big tech companies, Rutger Bregman, the Dutch historian and author of the bestseller “Humankind,” and actor and digital producer Braeckley Thornton have also voiced support for the campaign.
Observers say the QuitGPT movement could further weigh on ChatGPT’s already declining market share. Market research firm Apptopia estimates that ChatGPT’s share of the U.S. mobile market fell from 69.1% in January last year to 45.3% in January this year.
Previously, OpenAI president Greg Brockman and his wife Anna Brockman donated 25 million dollars (about 36 billion won) last year to MAGA Inc., a Super PAC supporting President Trump, and contributed the same amount to “Leading the Future,” a Super PAC lobbying for looser AI regulation.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has also disclosed that ICE is using a GPT-4-based tool to screen résumés during its hiring process.

#ChatGPT #OpenAI #Trump #ICE #AIBoycott

km@fnnews.com Reporter Kim Kyung-min Reporter