Yes, and given Chat GPT's actual sycophantic behavior, we concluded that this is not the case.
That said I also don't think the sycophancy in LLM's is a positive trend. I don't push back against it because it's not pleasant, I push back against it because I think the 24/7 "You're absolutely right!" machine is deeply unhealthy.
Some people are especially susceptible and get one shot by it, some people seem to get by just fine, but I doubt it's actually good for anyone.
A better analogy would be a robot vacuum which does a lousy job.
In either case, I'd recommend using a more manual method, a manual or air-hammer or a hand driven wet/dry vacuum.
LEO [hands him some papers] I really think you should know...
BARTLET Yes?
LEO That nine out of ten criterion that the DOD lays down for success in these tests were met.
BARTLET The tenth being?
LEO They missed the target.
BARTLET [with sarcasm] Damn!
LEO Sir!
BARTLET So close.
LEO Mr. President.
BARTLET That tenth one! See, if there were just nine...
Equally bad is when they push an opinion strongly (usually on a controversial topic) without being able to justify it well.
Have you considered that “all that criticism” may come from a relatively homogenous, narrow slice of the market that is not representative of the overall market preference?
I suspect a lot of people who are from a very similar background to those making the criticism and likely share it fail to consider that, because the criticism follows their own preferences and viewing its frequency in the media that they consume as representaive of the market is validating.
EDIT: I want to emphasize that I also share the preference that is expressed in the criticisms being discussed, but I also know that my preferred tone for an AI chatbot would probably be viewed as brusque, condescending, and off-putting by most of the market.