Sora is 📝OpenAI's discontinued text-to-video model and app, previewed in February 2024, which OpenAI shut down in 2026 after its standalone app failed to hold an audience.
OpenAI previewed Sora on February 15, 2024 and released it to 📝ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers on December 9, 2024. Sora 2 followed on September 30, 2025, adding synchronized audio and launching alongside a standalone social app where users could generate short videos featuring themselves and friends. The app drew controversy over deepfakes of real and deceased people, and after an early peak of around a million users its audience reportedly fell below half a million. OpenAI announced the discontinuation on March 24, 2026, closed the app and web experience on April 26, and removed the Sora 2 API on September 24, 2026.
Key Facts
- Developer: OpenAI
- Preview: February 15, 2024
- Public launch: December 9, 2024, in ChatGPT Plus and Pro
- Sora 2 and Sora app: September 30, 2025
- Discontinued: announced March 24, 2026; app closed April 26, 2026; API removed September 24, 2026
- Replacement: none; OpenAI named no successor video model
Why It Matters
Sora was the most visible early proof that general-purpose models could generate convincing video, and its first previews reset expectations across the industry. Its shutdown is equally instructive: reporting attributed the decision to high compute costs, low revenue, falling usage, and deepfake and copyright controversies, as OpenAI redirected resources toward agents and coding. It stands as a rare case of a frontier lab retiring a flagship consumer product outright.
FAQ
Is Sora still available?
No. OpenAI shut down the Sora app and website on April 26, 2026 and removed the Sora 2 API on September 24, 2026, with no replacement.
Why did OpenAI shut down Sora?
OpenAI did not give a public reason. Reporting pointed to heavy compute costs, low revenue, a sharp drop in users, and controversies over deepfakes of real people.
When did Sora launch?
OpenAI previewed Sora on February 15, 2024, launched it publicly on December 9, 2024, and released Sora 2 on September 30, 2025.
Related
- 📝OpenAI Model Glossary — every OpenAI model by family, including Sora and Sora 2