在2026年3月25日，OpenAI宣布将终止其AI影片应用程式Sora，该服务约于推出后六个月关闭，并关闭供开发者与好莱坞工作室使用的Sora API，显示其在拟议上市前正在调整资源分配。首席财务长Sarah Friar在受访时表示OpenAI必须做好成为上市公司的准备，反映出管理层正在加强治理与优先顺序。此举也是对之前由Sam Altman推动的广泛实验模式的一种回转：先前公司同时试水browser、硬体、robotics与Codex等多条产品线。
OpenAI过去一度自述为自下而上的文化，让有前景的想法自然取得资源，但这已对GPU与人力形成压力。Appfigures数据显示Sora在2025年11月全球(iOS与Android)下载量达到3.3百万峰值，至2026年2月降至1.1百万，降幅为66.7%。因此管理层将重点转向整合ChatGPT、Codex与Atlas的「super app」，打造单一的消费者Super Assistant，同时OpenAI的企业端增长主要由Codex推动，该产品于2026年1月已超过10亿美元年化收入且仍在上升。
这一转向也冲击了外部合作关系，Disney原先考虑投资10亿美元，但报道指出在Sora停用后其表示不再投资。内部层面则存在人才与研究风险：OpenAI将研究人员转向用于机器人真实世界任务的world simulation，但公司仍在与Anthropic、Google DeepMind与Meta争夺顶尖人才。研究副总裁Jerry Tworek于2026年1月离职，据称因难以获得下一个重大计划资源，显示被降权的研究团队可能转往其他实验室。
On March 25, 2026, OpenAI announced it would discontinue its AI video app Sora about six months after launch and shut the Sora API used by developers and Hollywood studios, signaling a pre-IPO shift in resource allocation. CFO Sarah Friar said in an interview that OpenAI must be ready to become a public company, reflecting tighter governance and prioritization. The move also marks a reversal of the broad experimental model driven by Sam Altman, under which the company had pursued browser, hardware, robotics, and Codex tracks in parallel.
OpenAI previously described itself as “bottom-up,” letting promising ideas secure resources, but this approach strained GPUs and personnel. Appfigures data showed Sora downloads peaked at 3.3 million globally on iOS and Android in November 2025, then fell to 1.1 million in February 2026, a 66.7% decline. As a result, leadership is now concentrating on a unified super app combining ChatGPT, Codex, and Atlas to create a single consumer Super Assistant, while enterprise growth is being led by Codex, which passed $1 billion in annualized revenue in January and continues rising.
This shift also disrupted partnerships: Disney had considered a $1 billion investment, but reports said it withdrew support after Sora’s discontinuation. Internally, risk remains as OpenAI redirects researchers to world simulation for robotics tasks in the physical world, while competing for top talent with Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and Meta. Research VP Jerry Tworek left in January, reportedly due to difficulty securing resources for his next major bet, indicating deprioritized teams may migrate to rival labs.