How to Permanently Delete Your OpenAI Account

OpenAI accounts can be permanently deleted through the Privacy Portal or in-app settings, but the process is irreversible and terminates all service access. Users must separately cancel any mobile app subscriptions through Apple or Google to prevent ongoing billing. After a 30-day deletion window, the associated email address becomes eligible for creating a new account.

Key Points

Account deletion is permanent, irreversible, and results in the loss of access to all OpenAI services and data.
Users must manually cancel mobile subscriptions through Apple or Google, as OpenAI cannot cancel these during account deletion.
Two primary deletion methods exist: submitting a request via the OpenAI Privacy Portal or using the 'Delete' option in ChatGPT settings.
A 30-day waiting period is required before a deleted account's email address can be used to register a new account.
Phone number verification limits (maximum of 3 accounts per number) persist even after an account is deleted.

Sentiment

The community is overwhelmingly negative toward OpenAI and Sam Altman. The vast majority of substantive comments express anger, disappointment, or moral outrage at OpenAI's decision to sign a military contract immediately after Anthropic was punished for holding an ethical line. Many users demonstrate their commitment by posting that they have already deleted their accounts or plan to switch their business teams to competitors. While a vocal minority pushes back — calling the movement performative, questioning its effectiveness, or arguing that military AI is inevitable — the pro-deletion sentiment dominates with significantly higher engagement.

In Agreement

OpenAI opportunistically swooped in to replace Anthropic after Anthropic was punished for maintaining ethical guardrails, demonstrating a lack of principles
Deleting accounts and canceling subscriptions is a legitimate way to vote with your wallet and signal to investors that user numbers are declining
Competitors like Claude and Gemini are now comparable or superior to ChatGPT, making switching practical with minimal cost
OpenAI appears to have intentionally broken their account deletion process during the surge, which constitutes a dark pattern
By accepting the DoW deal under these conditions, OpenAI is consenting to government corruption and setting a precedent where companies can be coerced into compliance
OpenAI's vague data retention language effectively means they can keep user data indefinitely

Opposed

This is performative virtue signaling that will have no meaningful impact on OpenAI's business given its scale of hundreds of millions of users
OpenAI's deal reportedly includes the same safety restrictions Anthropic insisted on, making the backlash based on incomplete understanding
All AI companies will eventually work with militaries and singling out OpenAI is inconsistent and naive
Boycotting an AI company is an ineffective substitute for engaging elected representatives about military policy
HN should not be used as a platform for political activism as it violates the site's guidelines against political and ideological battles
Users will inevitably return after a brief protest period because the product is too useful