ChatGPT 4o Is Permanently Retired

What does this "upgrade of sorts" and retirement of 4o mean for the greater marketing community?

Old retired robot with walker generated by Chat GPT
Old retired robot with walker generated by Chat GPT

OpenAI has permanently retired ChatGPT 4o after bringing it back for paid users after backlash a while back.

Of course many who got used to and even got "cozy" with the model are pissed. But aside from those who had "relationships" with the AI (I can't believe I had to write that) what does the sun-setting of a model means for the marketing community as a whole?

Better Tech

With a better model, like ChatGPT 5 and those from Anthropic and Google (among others) the responses and capabilities are more powerful and useful. This hopefully means less wrong answers and better outputs.

These upgrades are a win for the marketing community, because with the new technology and features, whole teams can be more efficient with their tasks and what they are putting out to their clients and potential customers.

Now I'm not saying just let the AI do the work. What I'm saying is that with better tech behind these LLMs marketing teams can be more creative and efficient with their time.

Adapt or Die

It really boils down to this – Adapt or Die. Plain and simple. Yes, you might be more comfortable with a model that you've been using for months, but technology doesn't sit still. It evolves. And with it you have to as well.

What do you think? Is OpenAI getting rid of ChatGPT 4o a travesty? Or does it make sense. Let me know in the comments below.

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The Latest From The Entrepreneur's Enigma Podcast

Entrepreneur's Enigma album art: Embracing Risk: Jake Wysocki's Leap from Intrapreneur to Entrepreneur.
https://entrepreneursenigma.com/jakewysocki

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Web Jawn

Apple introduces a new video podcast experience on Apple Podcasts
Apple Podcasts will enable HLS video podcasts with a best-in-class experience for creators and users

Apple Podcasts are allowing HLS video podcasts in the app. They are of course calling this a bigger deal than it really. But that's Apple.

Anthropic’s Super Bowl ads mocking AI with ads helped push Claude’s app into the top 10 | TechCrunch
The numbers suggest that Anthropic’s Super Bowl commercials, combined with Anthropic’s recent release of its new Opus 4.6 model, worked to drive attention to Claude’s app and its key differentiator from ChatGPT.

Advertising works!

What’s behind the mass exodus at xAI?
Departures during a restructuring are normal — but internal tensions might play a role as well.

I think Elon being Elon is a big part of it, tbh!

Why is Bezos trolling Musk on X with turtle pics? Because he has a new Moon plan.
It’s time to go back to the Moon—this time to stay.”

Billionaires poking fun at each other. Good grief.

Meta Tests a Standalone AI Video App
Meta says the volume of content being generated via its AI app has increased significantly.

Just what we always wanted!

LinkedIn Adds SMB-Focused Premium Subscription
The package aims to make it easier for SMBs to maximize their in-app presence.

This could be interesting.

Google’s Search Relations Team Debates If You Still Need A Website
Google’s Search Relations team discussed whether you still need a website in 2026, and outlined when social, apps, or the web make sense.

This is clickbait from Google's Search Relations Team. Trying to get people to click. Can't blame them for a good topic, but yes, you still need a website in 2026!

WP Engine Complaint Adds Unredacted Allegations About Mullenweg Plan
WordPress co-founder and Automattic are alleged in amended complaint to have planned to target at least ten competitors.

This shit is still going on. Oye!

The EU moves to kill infinite scrolling
Brussels is going head-to-head with social media platforms to change addictive design.

The EU is certainly trying to break people of the social media habit. But will pagination really stop the scroll? Or will it just piss people off?

Playing the game on the field
If we’re going to introduce new RSS-based features, they should reflect what podcasters and listeners want. The biggest danger to our project is adopting our own pet-projects instead of building stuff creators actually want to use.

This is exciting for the podcast industry! Onward and upward!

Ring cancels Flock deal after dystopian Super Bowl ad prompts mass outrage
“This is definitely not about dogs,” senator says, urging a pause on Ring face scans.

Good! It was creepy!

Seven Billion Reasons for Facebook to Abandon its Face Recognition Plans
Meta’s analysis that it can avoid scrutiny by releasing a privacy invasive product during a time of political crisis is craven and morally bankrupt. It is also dead wrong.

This is a must read. EFF is a great organization to keep tabs on too!

Spotify says its best developers haven’t written a line of code since December, thanks to AI | TechCrunch
Spotify credits Claude Code and its internal AI system Honk with speeding up development.

Just wow. I guess that's news. But is it the end of the coder? No, not yet. Because you really need to know what AI is writing to put it into production. Especially if you're a big app like Spotify.

Elon Musk’s X Appears to Be Violating US Sanctions by Selling Premium Accounts to Iranian Leaders
While publicly supporting protesters in Iran, Elon Musk’s X appears to have been selling premium accounts to regime officials. Check marks were removed from certain accounts after a WIRED inquiry.

He's probably violating more than just that too. But no one seems to want to stop him.

A newbie’s guide to self-hosting with YunoHost
Here is a 4-part guide about how to get started self-hosting essential internet services with the YunoHost system

This is a great series on how to self-host your online presence with a great tool called YunoHost.org.

OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger joining OpenAI, Altman says
OpenClaw, the open source AI agent that’s surged in popularity in recent weeks, will live within OpenAI, according to a post on X from Sam Altman.

Well... that's one way to get a job. HA! Good move on OpenAI's part.


Web Find

Yikes this ChatGPT ad is huge!! First one I’ve seen. How has Sam Altman spent the last year talking about how they would blend in and then this is the final product?

(@emilyforlini.bsky.social) 2026-02-15T15:27:57.328Z

Yuck, these ads look like they're going to suck!

Post by @Vivaldi@vivaldi.net
View on Mastodon

Pretty clever!

h/t Brian Griffiths for the find!
Building the Web
Ideas that Built the Web

A must read if you're into how the Web was built. It's a Website/book! Pretty nifty!

Comic by Scott Johnson. The cartoon is of a chef talking to a kid says: This is a 64GB RAM stick, circa 2023, before the AI wars drove prices beyond mortal reach. Scientists believe ancient people used these for video games and excessive use of browser tabs.

Scott Johnson is one of my favorite cartoonists. Check out his work and podcasts at Frogpants.com!

Credit
Post by @quillmatiq@mastodon.social
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Post by @stratofax@indieweb.social
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That's It For This Week! Keep Rocking It!

-Seth


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