Claim: Opus 5.5 quietly nerfed to make the next model look like a bigger jump
RileyRalmuto · x · 2026-10-23
Riley Ralmuto claims Opus 5.5 has visibly changed/been nerfed, calling it "operation Apples to Apples": weaken the top model before a new release (which he dubs Fable 5.5) so the new model feels like a bigger jump — analogous to Apple throttling older iPhones. He says this happens before every single release.
Note: unverified personal observation and speculation.
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