OpenAI Enters Its Focus Era by Killing Sora | WIREDSkip to main contentMenuSECURITYPOLITICSTHE BIG STORYBUSINESSSCIENCECULTUREREVIEWSMenuAccountAccountNewslettersSecurityPoliticsThe Big StoryBusinessScienceCultureReviewsChevronMoreExpandThe Big InterviewMagazineEventsWIRED InsiderWIRED ConsultingNewslettersPodcastsVideoLivestreamsMerchSearchSearchMaxwell ZeffBusinessMar 25, 2026 10:57 AMOpenAI Enters Its Focus Era by Killing SoraAs the ChatGPT-maker eyes an IPO, it's ditching Sora in favor of a unified AI assistant and enterprise coding tools.Photograph: Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyOpenAI said Tuesday it would discontinue Sora, its AI video app, roughly six months after launch. The company also said it would shutter the Sora API that allowed developers and Hollywood studios to access the text-to-video model.The move shows how the ChatGPT-maker is trying to focus its efforts ahead of a planned IPO. OpenAI’s chief financial officer, Sarah Friar, said in an interview with CNBC Tuesday that OpenAI needs to be “ready to be a public company.”Since ChatGPT’s launch, CEO Sam Altman has run the company like Y Combinator, the Silicon Valley incubator he used to lead, placing bets on a wide range of products. This includes Sora, as well as a browser, a family of hardware devices, robots, and Codex, its AI-powered coding agent.These efforts have had varying levels of success, and Sora's growth in particular has stalled in recent months. After peaking at 3.3 million worldwide downloads across iOS and Android in November 2025, downloads of the Sora app fell to just 1.1 million by February 2026, according to the third-party analytics firm Appfigures.Researchers at OpenAI have described the company’s culture over the last several years as “bottom-up,” meaning that the company allocates resources to promising ideas as they emerge, rather than following road maps from executives. While this has created fertile ground for AI research, it has also spread the company’s GPUs and employees thin, according to multiple sources.Now, OpenAI’s leaders have given a stern mandate to refocus the company around a few key areas.One of the focus areas is a “super app” that will combine ChatGPT, Codex, and Atlas. OpenAI’s leaders hope that combining these products into a unified consumer interface will help the company turn ChatGPT into a true super assistant. (The Wall Street Journal previously reported on the super app and OpenAI’s efforts to simplify its offerings.)Before OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, it was planning to build an AI agent that could complete all sorts of digital tasks for people. This product, then dubbed the “super assistant,” was meant to bring the promise of AGI to life, but it has been harder to build than OpenAI expected, sources say. OpenAI has tried instead to launch agentic features inside ChatGPT, such as Operator and ChatGPT Agent, though adoption has been limited. The company is hoping a consumer agent built around Codex will resonate more with ChatGPT users.OpenAI is also bolstering its enterprise business as it readies itself for the public market. While Anthropic was previously a front-runner in the AI coding race, OpenAI’s Codex team has caught up in the last year. Codex is now a bright spot for OpenAI, surpassing $1 billion in annualized revenue in January and continuing to grow.While Sora launched with great fanfare, the product didn't quite fit into OpenAI’s new era, and the company decided its GPUs and researchers were better used elsewhere. In a statement to WIRED, an OpenAI spokesperson said, “As we focus and compute demand grows,” the Sora research team will work on “world simulation research to advance robotics that will help people solve real-world, physical tasks.”The move seems to have blown up the company’s partnership with Disney, which had previously said it would invest $1 billion in OpenAI. Disney was reportedly blindsided by the decision, and the company said it no longer plans to invest.There’s an open question around what OpenAI’s era of focus means for its research teams. OpenAI is competing with Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and Meta for a small pool of top-tier talent. In January, OpenAI’s VP of Research, Jerry Tworek, left the company after struggling to get resources for his next big bet. While many employees appear energized by the company’s decision, others could decide to move to rival labs if their projects get deprioritized.CommentsBack to topTriangleYou Might Also LikeIn your inbox: WIRED's most ambitious, future-defining storiesThe Tesla influencers leaving the cultBig Interview: Kalshi’s CEO says he’s not running a gambling siteWill AI kill the venture capitalist?Livestream AMA: Big Tech and the military—have your sayMaxwell Zeff is a senior writer at WIRED covering the business of artificial intelligence. He was previously a senior reporter with TechCrunch, where he broke news on startups and leaders driving the AI boom. Before that, Zeff covered AI policy and content moderation for Gizmodo and wrote some of Bloomberg’s ... Read MoreSenior WriterTopicsOpenAISam AltmanAppsgenerative AISocial Mediaartificial intelligenceRead MoreWIRED’s Favorite Air Fryer Is About a Third OffI tested more than 30 air fryers this past year. 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Now he's going viral as he campaigns to get his name cleared and his pension restored.Makena KellyOpenAI Enters Its Focus Era by Killing SoraAs the ChatGPT-maker eyes an IPO, it's ditching Sora in favor of a unified AI assistant and enterprise coding tools.Maxwell ZeffNew Bernie Sanders AI Safety Bill Would Halt Data Center ConstructionThe US senator said on Tuesday that a moratorium would give lawmakers time to "ensure that AI is safe." Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will introduce a similar bill in the House in the weeks ahead.Molly TaftWhen Satellite Data Becomes a WeaponAs war reshapes the Gulf, the satellite infrastructure the world relies on to see conflict clearly is being delayed, spoofed, and privately controlled—and nobody is sure who is responsible.Gia ChaudryWIRED is obsessed with what comes next. Through rigorous investigations and game-changing reporting, we tell stories that don’t just reflect the moment—they help create it. 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OpenAI has undergone a significant strategic shift, prioritizing a unified AI assistant and enterprise coding tools while abruptly discontinuing its Sora AI video generation app. This decision, spearheaded by CEO Sam Altman, is largely driven by the company’s preparations for a potential initial public offering (IPO), as articulated by CFO Sarah Friar. The move reflects a departure from Altman’s previous approach of aggressively pursuing numerous, often experimental, AI projects – including a browser, hardware devices, robots, and Codex – a strategy likened to Y Combinator’s incubator model.

Initially, OpenAI’s research, led by figures like Jerry Tworek, operated under a “bottom-up” philosophy, empowering researchers to develop promising ideas without strict executive oversight. However, this approach, while fostering innovation, led to resource allocation challenges, spreading GPUs and personnel across multiple ventures. The company’s leadership has now implemented a more focused strategy, concentrating on core areas to streamline operations.

A central element of this renewed focus is the development of a “super app” combining ChatGPT, Codex, and Atlas. This unified interface aims to transform ChatGPT into a truly versatile assistant, extending beyond its current chatbot capabilities. OpenAI has been attempting to integrate agentic features like “Operator” and ChatGPT Agent within ChatGPT itself, but adoption rates have been lower than expected. The company is now betting on a consumer agent built around Codex, hoping to resonate more with ChatGPT users seeking coding assistance.

Alongside this consumer-facing effort, OpenAI is substantially bolstering its enterprise business, particularly its Codex coding agent, which has recently surpassed $1 billion in annualized revenue. This strategic shift positions OpenAI as a serious competitor in the AI coding space, previously dominated by Anthropic.

The decision to abandon Sora, which generated considerable initial excitement, was largely driven by the realization that it didn't fit within OpenAI's revised priorities. The company’s leaders determined that its GPUs and researchers would be more effectively utilized in “world simulation research” to advance robotics and support real-world, physical tasks. This refocusing has unfortunately impacted the company’s partnership with Disney, which had initially committed to a $1 billion investment in OpenAI, but abruptly cancelled its plans following the Sora announcement.

The implications of this shift for OpenAI’s research teams are significant. The company is increasingly competing with rivals like Anthropic (led by Elon Musk), Google DeepMind, and Meta for a limited pool of top AI talent. In January, Tworek’s departure underscores the challenges OpenAI faces in retaining key researchers, particularly if their projects are deprioritized. Despite the recent departures, many employees appear energized by the company’s newfound focus, though some may still seek opportunities with rival labs.

Ultimately, OpenAI’s newly defined era of focus represents a calculated realignment of its resources and priorities, demonstrating a pragmatic response to the demands of a public market debut and bolstering its competitive position against other major players in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.