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Sam Altman celebrates 'no em-dash' update, sparks online debate among ChatGPT Users
Altman’s brief update ultimately provided an unexpected moment of comic relief for the online community
OpenAI's Sam Altman
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman set off a lively online discussion after announcing that ChatGPT had finally begun to follow a longstanding user instruction. Posting on X, Altman wrote: “Small but happy win: If you tell ChatGPT not to use em dashes in your custom instructions, it finally does what it’s supposed to do!”
Small-but-happy win:
— Sam Altman (@sama) November 14, 2025
If you tell ChatGPT not to use em-dashes in your custom instructions, it finally does what it's supposed to do!
His update quickly gained attention, drawing more than 274,000 views and hundreds of reactions. What began as a lighthearted remark soon evolved into a wider conversation about punctuation preferences, writing styles and the quirks of interacting with AI tools.
Users were quick to respond with their own experiences. One person commented, “Told it to stop using em dashes… it replied with an em dash. Peak betrayal”, summing up a frustration familiar to many writers. Another added, “Great! Hopefully this means that those of us who like em dashes, the most versatile punctuation mark, can start using them again without being falsely accused of relying on unedited AI writing”.
The thread then took a humorous turn as more users weighed in. “Huge update. Em dash removed. Now tell me: which punctuation is ruining your life today?” one joked. Another quipped, “Finally. The em dash was acting like the main character for no reason”, highlighting how dominant the mark had become in AI generated responses.
Altman’s brief update ultimately provided an unexpected moment of comic relief for the online community, while also underscoring how even small changes in AI behaviour can spark spirited debate.
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