Why OpenAI killed Sora | The Verge

AIReportAnalysisWhy OpenAI killed SoraToo much compute, too much competition, and skeptical investors.by Hayden FieldMar 28, 2026, 12:00 PM UTCLinkShareGiftAIReportAnalysisWhy OpenAI killed SoraToo much compute, too much competition, and skeptical investors.by Hayden FieldMar 28, 2026, 12:00 PM UTCLinkShareGiftHayden Field is The Verge’s senior AI reporter. An AI beat reporter for more than five years, her work has also appeared in CNBC, MIT Technology Review, Wired UK, and other outlets.On Tuesday morning, everything was business as usual at OpenAI. By the end of the day, the company had announced that it would scrap its video-generation app, Sora, and reverse plans for video generation inside ChatGPT; it would wind down a $1 billion Disney deal; it would shuffle the role of a high-level executive; and it would raise an additional $10 billion from investors, adding up to more than $120 billion total for its latest funding round.OpenAI is now in a frenzy to turn a profit, or at least lose less money. Since its launch, Sora seems to have taken up a massive amount of compute without the financial return to justify it. Industry sources told The Verge that it’s been lagging behind competing video-generation models. But despite its short life, it’s leaving behind a legacy of eroded trust in judging what’s real.As OpenAI faces questions from investors and hot competition from Anthropic and Google, executives seem to agree that a change in direction is warranted. “We cannot miss ...