What happened: OpenAI says the Sora web and app experiences will be discontinued on April 26, 2026, and the Sora API will be discontinued on September 24, 2026.

Why it matters: Because consumer AI video is fun, but apparently not “keep the lights on” fun. The dates matter: they force creators to export, and they signal where OpenAI is choosing to spend compute and attention next.

Wider context: This fits the broader economics reality check beat: flashy products get cut or reshaped when unit costs, moderation, or support burden do not match revenue. In practice, “sunset” is just a polite word for triage.

Background: OpenAI recommends exporting Sora content before the web/app shutdown and says it will permanently delete data associated with Sora after discontinuation, and after any final export window if one is offered. Export is done via a Sora exports page and delivered by email.

What to know about the Sora discontinuation — OpenAI Help Center

Singularity Soup Take: The future is endless creation, as long as you download it into a ZIP file before the guillotine date. Sora is not “gone,” it is being folded into the empire, and the empire’s budget committee just discovered calendars.

Key Takeaways:

• Two Shutdown Dates: OpenAI provides a clear timeline: Sora web/app ends April 26, 2026, while the API continues until September 24, 2026, which suggests different priorities for consumers versus developers.
• Export Or Lose It: Users are told to export their Library via sora.chatgpt.com/exports/me, with OpenAI noting exports can take a long time for accounts with many videos and that they will email the export when ready.
• Deletion After Sunset: OpenAI says it will permanently delete data associated with Sora after discontinuation and after any final export window, if one is offered, so this is not an “indefinite archive” situation.