OpenAI shutters Sora
OpenAI is sunsetting Sora in two stages — the consumer app will close in April and the API will follow in September — and partners such as Disney have already ended collaborations. OpenAI says it’s reallocating compute to productivity and enterprise agent work, a sign of shifting priorities in creative‑AI markets. (theverge.com) (the-decoder.com) (help.openai.com) (bangkokpost.com)
OpenAI debuted Sora 2, its next‑generation video+audio model, on September 30, 2025 alongside a standalone Sora app. (openai.com) The app vaulted to the top of Apple’s App Store and hit roughly 1 million downloads in under five days, a milestone OpenAI’s Sora lead Bill Peebles announced publicly. (cnbc.com) Walt Disney had negotiated a three‑year licensing pact that would have given Sora access to more than 200 Disney characters and included a planned $1 billion equity stake, but that agreement never closed and has been wound down after the Sora decision. (bloomberg.com) Multiple reports say Disney teams were meeting with OpenAI on a Sora‑related project and were informed roughly 30 minutes after that meeting that OpenAI would drop the tool — a source described the move as “a big rug‑pull.” (newsbreak.com) Bloomberg and other outlets report OpenAI is reallocating compute and engineering focus toward AI agents and a forthcoming model called “Spud,” and is reorganizing parts of its security and safety teams as it trims expensive experimental workloads. (bloomberg.com) The Motion Picture Association and major Hollywood agencies publicly pressed OpenAI over Sora 2’s opt‑out approach to copyrighted characters, urging immediate fixes amid a wave of high‑profile infringement complaints. (cnbc.com) OpenAI’s help article directs users to export any Sora content before the shutdown windows and provides explicit timelines and tools for preserving projects. (help.openai.com)
