The application achieved rapid popularity upon its launch but did not last long “The shutdown decision was for economic and strategic reasons”

OpenAI announced a surprising move to shut down its Sora application, which specialized in generating videos using artificial intelligence. The decision sparked widespread debate and confusion among users and developers, especially as the app was considered one of the company’s most prominent creative projects in this field.

Sora was launched at the end of 2024, offering an innovative experience that converts text into short, realistic videos using AI. With the release of its second version in September 2025, interactive and social features were added, making it closer to short-video platforms and boosting its early appeal.

The application saw rapid adoption upon launch, reaching top positions in app store rankings with around one million downloads. However, this momentum did not last long, as the number of users later dropped to less than half, prompting the company to reassess its viability.

According to recent reports and investigations, the shutdown decision was not related to privacy or data concerns, but rather economic and strategic reasons. The app did not achieve the expected level of usage, while its operating costs were extremely high due to reliance on massive computing power for video generation.

Reports also indicated that running such technologies consumed significant resources, costing nearly one million dollars per day. This pushed the company to redirect these resources toward more stable and profitable projects, such as AI productivity tools and advanced technological developments.

In a notable development, the company had signed a cooperation agreement weeks before the shutdown with The Walt Disney Company, valued at around one billion dollars, allowing the use of famous characters from Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars in Sora content. However, this collaboration was halted following the app’s shutdown, surprising the digital entertainment sector.

Despite shutting down Sora, the company remains committed to advancing artificial intelligence technologies, focusing on integrating video capabilities into its core products rather than offering them as a standalone application.

Overall, Sora stands as a clear example of the challenges facing advanced AI technologies, particularly in terms of operational costs and market demands, which may reshape competition in this field in the coming years.