Sam Altman Opens Up About a Secret Others Avoid
OpenAI has decided to retire its Sora video-generation product. CEO Sam Altman informed staff the company will shut down the Sora app and related animation APIs.
Sora shutdown and the Disney agreement
Sora launched as a dedicated mobile app six months ago. OpenAI signed a billion-dollar licensing deal with Disney three months later.
The Disney agreement covered hundreds of name-brand characters. It included a three-year contract and a planned Disney+ feature.
Disney said it “respects OpenAI’s decision” in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. Disney’s tech team learned of the pivot late Monday.
What OpenAI will remove
OpenAI is also winding down ChatGPT’s video features. The company plans to take animation APIs offline during the transition.
An internal message announced an incoming model called “Spud.” Altman said the new model will “really accelerate the economy.”
Sora’s official account posted a farewell on March 24, 2026, thanking creators and promising future timelines.
Partners, projects, and reversals
Several high-profile collaborations have faltered this year. OpenAI scaled back a major Texas data-center buildout with Oracle and SoftBank.
Nvidia, which agreed in September to supply computing chips, said this month it likely will not proceed. Walmart ended its ChatGPT shopping pilot.
Walmart had integrated ChatGPT in October. The retailer ended the experiment after the model did not improve store sales.
Figure AI and other separations
Figure AI cut its partnership with OpenAI last month. The company said it built humanoid robot AI entirely in-house.
Brett Adcock posted on February 4, 2025, that Figure would show a major breakthrough within 30 days.
Internal changes and product strategy
OpenAI has been in “code red” since December. Fidji Simo, the CEO of applications, told staff to end “side quests.”
The company aims to focus on productivity and concrete business use cases. Executives want steady revenue ahead of a planned IPO.
Sora 2 launched as a limited-access app last fall. Downloads plunged nearly 75 percent from a November peak, according to internal reports.
Costs and priorities
Employees flagged heavy compute expenses for visual generation. That work consumed capital while producing limited returns.
Leadership prioritized coding and clerical features seen as more practical and lucrative than visual tools.
Industry context and risks
Rival Anthropic has won praise for its Claude assistant. Firms see Claude as reliable for coding and corporate contracts.
Visual generation faces legal and regulatory pressure. Concerns include copyright, deepfakes, and abusive imagery.
Those risks have pushed some partners to retreat from broad AI bets. The sector now shows signs of strain.
Press coverage has amplified the debate, with pieces titled things like “Sam Altman Opens Up About a Secret Others Avoid” circulating across outlets. Filmogaz.com will continue to monitor developments as OpenAI reshapes its roadmap.
