OpenAI just gave up on Sora and its billion-dollar Disney deal

OpenAI’s video generator is going away soon, despite a lot of hype and a megadeal with Disney.

On Tuesday afternoon, OpenAI announced “We’re saying goodbye to Sora,” the video generation tool that it launched at the end of 2024, and centered in a massive licensing deal with Disney only a few months ago. The Wall Street Journal reported the move earlier, saying that OpenAI boss Sam Altman had informed staff that both the TikTok-like Sora app and API access for developers would be discontinued, with no plans to roll the feature into ChatGPT as had previously been rumored.

OpenAI hasn’t responded to a request for comment or otherwise explained the shift, but there have been signs that things are changing, following Altman’s declaration of a “code red” a few months ago over possible slippage of ChatGPT vs. Google Gemini.

Last week, the WSJ reported OpenAI is working on a ChatGPT desktop “superapp” to simplify its product lineup around Codex and its AI browser, which applications CEO Fidji Simo commented on, tweeting, “Companies go through phases of exploration and phases of refocus; both are critical. But when new bets start to work, like we’re seeing now with Codex, it’s very important to double down on them and avoid distractions. Really glad we’re seizing this moment.”