OpenAI is shutting down its Sora video generation app

OpenAI has announced that its AI video generation app, Sora, is shutting down and there is no explanation why.

in a post on Twitter/XOpenAI confirmed that Sora is being shut down, i.e. the standalone app. The post initially said Sora in its entirety, but it was edited to clarify “Sora app”. Presumably, video generation will still be available elsewhere.

We say goodbye to Sora. To everyone who created with Sora, shared it, and built a community around it: thank you. What you did with Sora was important and we know this news is disappointing.

We’ll share more soon, including app and API timelines and details on how to preserve your work.

However, the explanation as to why is not mentioned at all. NBC News speculates that the “shutdown of the resource-intensive AI application comes ahead of an expected initial public offering of OpenAI stock.”

Sora was released in the second half of 2024, but only expanded widely in 2025. The Android app was not released until November 2025 following updates to the Sora model that produced generations of even more realistic videos.

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The news also completely closes a deal previously made between Disney and OpenAI, which would have allowed Sora to use Disney intellectual property in user-requested videos. The agreement would have also been extended to ChatGPT imaging, but it no longer exists. Disney said in a statement to Variety:

As the nascent field of AI advances rapidly, we respect OpenAI’s decision to exit the video generation business and move its priorities elsewhere. We appreciate the constructive collaboration between our teams and what we learned from it, and we will continue to engage with AI platforms to find new ways to meet fans where they are while responsibly adopting new technologies that respect intellectual property and creators’ rights.