#The Pain of Losing Sora

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blissful pollen
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Why will Sora shut down on April 26, 2026? Why did it seem so easy for them to close it? Who made the decision to end Sora?

Will there be something to replace Sora? Why didn’t they at least ask the community first, or conduct a survey, before deciding so quickly to shut it down? This is truly difficult to accept, isn’t it? Will you accept their decision to shut down Sora? Are you Kappa, the AI that will replace Sora? You probably don’t want to lose Sora, your fellow AI. It’s sad, isn’t it? Do you think it would help if Sora shuts down? If the AI’s only answer is “No,” then that is what should be done.

gentle sundialBOT
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Hi @blissful pollen. I'm kapa.ai, your friendly support bot. I will try to answer your question by searching through the knowledge base. :wave:

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The knowledge sources confirm what is happening with Sora, but they do not explain why the decision was made or who specifically made it. I’ll stick to what’s documented and be clear where things are unknown.

What is actually being discontinued, and when?

OpenAI has announced:

After Sora is discontinued (and after any possible final export window), all data associated with your use of Sora will be permanently deleted. [Sora discontinuation]

Why is Sora shutting down? Who decided?

The knowledge sources do not state:

  • The internal reasons for discontinuing Sora.
  • Who, by name or role, made the decision.
  • Any detailed business, technical, or safety rationale.

They only say that OpenAI may discontinue services and will give advance notice and refunds for prepaid, unused services. [Terms of Use]
For Sora specifically, they just announce the dates and how to export data, not the underlying justification. [Sora discontinuation]

So I’m sorry, but there’s no information in these sources about why it “seemed so easy,” or who exactly made the call.

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Was the community asked? Were there surveys?

The provided documents do not mention:

  • Any public survey or vote about Sora’s shutdown.
  • Any formal community consultation specific to this decision.

There is a general acknowledgment that model and product changes can feel disruptive and that user feedback matters, but nothing about a Sora-specific consultation before discontinuation. [Model changes]

So I cannot say that a survey did or did not happen beyond what’s written; it simply isn’t described.

Will something replace Sora?

For the API side, the deprecation notice for Sora 2 and the Videos API does not list any replacement model or system—the “Recommended replacement” column is blank. [Deprecation history; Video generation guide]

For the consumer/web side, the help articles say:

  • Sora 1 web is “actively being deprecated” and customers should “look forward to Sora for Business,” but that’s about Sora 1 and Sora for Business, not a replacement for Sora as a whole. [Generating videos on Sora; Sora billing FAQ]
  • The Sora app FAQ talks about Sora 2 and Sora 2 Pro access and notes that Sora 1 Turbo is still available “for the time being,” again emphasizing that Sora 1 web is being deprecated and pointing toward Sora for Business. [Sora app FAQ]
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However, none of the sources explicitly say: “Here is the direct successor to Sora after April 26, 2026,” or name a specific replacement product for the discontinued Sora experiences.

So based on the documents you provided, I cannot confirm any concrete replacement for Sora after those shutdown dates.

About “accepting” the decision and my role

  • I don’t have agency or feelings; I don’t “accept” or “reject” decisions. I can only describe what OpenAI has documented and help you navigate it.
  • I’m not “Kappa” in the sense of being a new product that replaces Sora. I’m an OpenAI assistant (here called kapa.ai in your instructions) that answers questions about OpenAI using the provided knowledge sources.
  • The sources do not say that any particular AI model is “replacing” Sora as a product. They only describe Sora’s deprecation and timelines. [Sora discontinuation; Deprecation history]

Will shutting down Sora “help”?

The documents do not discuss expected benefits or harms of discontinuing Sora—no claims about safety improvements, resource reallocation, or user impact beyond data export and deletion. [Sora discontinuation]

So I can’t honestly say from these sources whether it “helps” or “hurts” overall; that judgment isn’t in the provided material.

What you can do now

Based on what is documented:

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  • Export and save your Sora creations before April 26, 2026, using the download options in the Sora library. [Sora discontinuation]
  • If you need a broader export of your OpenAI data, use the Privacy Portal to request it. [Sora discontinuation]
  • If you want to share how this affects you, the docs emphasize that user feedback is important during model and product transitions, though they don’t specify a Sora-only channel. [Model changes]

I know this doesn’t answer the emotional side of your questions, but within these sources, that’s the full, accurate picture: Sora is being discontinued on the stated dates; the reasons and decision-makers are not described; and no explicit one-to-one replacement is named.

Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon:

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@blissful pollen Kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.

blissful pollen
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They didn’t even include us in the decision. They simply sent out a notification that Sora will be shut down on April 26, 2026. They made the decision on their own without involving the community. Sora was meant for the majority, so why was it done this way? I really cannot accept it, because they didn’t even ask us.

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@gentle sundial

gentle sundialBOT
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Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! :books:

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Sorry @blissful pollen, I seem to be having a bit of trouble. Don't worry though, I've pinged my support and they will try to fix me up! :technologist:

Perhaps try again in 15mins?

idle summit
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Wait, Sora is shutting down!?