OpenAI’s decision to shut down its Sora AI video app and end its deal with Disney is another telltale sign that the AI vendor is focusing on enterprises and beginning to streamline some of its consumer commitments.
OpenAI on March 24 said goodbye to the Sora app, though the exact timeline for its departure is unclear. The decision to let go of the app comes six months after the vendor launched Sora 2, a video model, and a new social media app that lets users create and remix a feed featuring both AI and humans. With the Sora app going viral, Disney agreed to invest $1 billion in equity in OpenAI, which would have made Disney a key corporate backer. The deal involved a three-year licensing agreement that would have enabled Sora users to generate short videos using Disney Animation, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.
With its decision to get rid of Sora, OpenAI continues the transition it began in 2025, when the AI vendor increasingly started targeting the enterprise, especially as it seeks to go public. Despite the virality and success the ChatGPT maker has had with its AI chatbot, and even with the Sora app, it has made moves in the last year that suggest more financial opportunities in the enterprise market than with consumers. For example, it has formed multiple partnerships, including with other vendors such as Oracle and Nvidia. Added to that, its rival Anthropic has found enormous success in the enterprise market with its Claude chatbot.
A Needed Move
The decision to let go of the Disney deal can then be seen as a positive sign that the vendor is becoming more focused, said Mark Beccue, an analyst at Omdia, a division of Informa TechTarget.
“They can’t chase everything,” Beccue said. Moreover, video is inference-heavy, which is expensive, and OpenAI might have realized that. “They’re understanding that now a little better or realizing they can’t do everything, and they’re going to shed compute loads that aren’t as important.”
On the other hand, OpenAI’s decision to end Sora and even let go of its deal with Disney is also indicative of what the vendor is hearing from investors as the company seeks an IPO, Beccue added. He said that, given OpenAI’s high cash burn rate, investors might advise the company to take steps to address it. In 2025, the vendor’s actual revenue was about $13 billion, but its net loss was $8 to $9 billion. Therefore, Beccue said it won’t be surprising if the vendor decides to shed other projects and refine and reorganize its internal team.
“They’re a little late to the game on getting their ducks in a row on what is their go-to market strategy,” Beccue said. “There’s always more money consistently in enterprise than there is in consumer.”