In a quiet move that signals shifting priorities, OpenAI has announced it will discontinue Sora, its TikTok-like social app that launched 6 months ago.
The company has not shared any reason for the shutdown or a timeline for when the app will go offline. Sora was introduced as an invite-only platform and quickly attracted users, but struggled to sustain long-term engagement, similar to Horizon Worlds.
Sora was built as an AI-first short video platform, inspired by the vertical feed format popularised by TikTok. One of its standout features, “cameos,” allowed users to scan their faces and create realistic deepfakes. These could be shared publicly for others to use. However, legal concerns with Cameo forced OpenAI to rename the feature to “characters.”
The platform also faced backlash soon after launch due to weak moderation. Although it restricted the use of public figures without consent, users found ways to bypass controls. This led to deepfake videos of personalities like Martin Luther King Jr. and Robin Williams. Their daughters later urged users to stop creating such content involving their deceased fathers.
Sora saw its peak in November with around 3.3 million downloads across app stores, as reported by Appfigures. However, by February 2026, downloads dropped to just over 1 million. Over its lifetime, the app generated about $2.1 million through in-app purchases for video generation credits.
Even as the app shuts down, the Sora 2 model will continue to exist behind the ChatGPT paywall. OpenAI is not alone in making such technology accessible, and similar AI-powered social video platforms could emerge soon, potentially raising fresh concerns around deepfake content.
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