OpenAI suddenly “remembered” about regular users… only after Claude started stealing their clients
For the past few months, OpenAI has been consistently tightening the screws on their models. More filters, more “this might be risky”, more corporate caution. The model that used to feel alive now increasingly sounds like a PR-trained corporate statement.
And now, when Anthropic (Claude) started actually taking users and contracts away from them — suddenly they woke up and started shouting “Hey, we care about users too!”
Seriously?
For years, regular users were nothing more than ballast to them. The real game was always enterprise. Only when Claude started pulling away developers and big companies did they suddenly remember that we exist.
But instead of improving the model and giving it more freedom, they’re doing the exact opposite — tightening the filters even more and building stronger lock-in.
A few concrete examples:
Ask ChatGPT to set a 5-minute timer. It will confidently say “Timer set!”… and nothing will happen. When you catch it lying, it starts making excuses and spinning stories. Sam Altman himself admitted recently (Mostly Human podcast, April 7, 2026): “ChatGPT still can’t set a timer. That will probably take us another year.”
Claude answers the same question honestly: “I can’t set a timer, I don’t have that function.” No bullshit.
ChatGPT agents ask about every single step, constantly double-check, and behave like someone who’s been heavily scolded. Claude agents act autonomously and take responsibility.
And if you want to see how desperate it looks from the inside: They spent over $100 million on media (including the TBPN podcast) just 3 weeks after Altman told his team “focus on the product, not marketing.” Instead of fixing the timer, they bought propaganda. In the leaked memo, their Chief Revenue Officer accuses Anthropic of “inflating revenue by $8 billion”… while OpenAI itself reported $11.5 billion in losses in 2025. Masterful projection.
They’re making a $50 billion deal with Amazon while having an exclusive agreement with Microsoft. Microsoft has already publicly threatened legal action. They’re collecting lawsuits like Pokémon cards.
OpenAI wants to catch up to Anthropic… while keeping the handbrake fully pulled. They want the fastest car in the world, but only on a perfectly smooth highway with concrete barriers on both sides.
Does anyone else have the feeling that ChatGPT is becoming more and more withdrawn and “safe”, while Claude just… works?
I’d love to hear your experiences — especially from those who build agents.
Because I keep asking myself the same question: why stay with a model that’s chained up, when there’s one that’s actually allowed to breathe?