Sora летит вниз: OpenAI столкнулась с реальностью после хайпа

Remember that collective shock when OpenAI first showed Sora's capabilities? It seemed like camera operators and video editors could bulk-update their resumes, and Hollywood should switch to chip production. Videos with mammoths floating through clouds and neon Tokyo convinced everyone that the future had arrived—definitively and hopelessly for traditional video production. But January came around, and dry statistics tell a different story: downloads of the Sora mobile app crashed by 45%. Subscription revenue went down with them. It appears the great video revolution is experiencing a prolonged and quite painful hangover.

The problem here isn't that the technology suddenly got worse or the neural network forgot how to render. The problem is that OpenAI seems to have slightly overestimated the average user's willingness to pay for on-the-go video generation. It's one thing to ask ChatGPT to write a polite letter to an annoying neighbor or draft a workout plan, and quite another to try creating a quality video on a smartphone's small screen. In reality, the result still often resembles a strange neural network dream with extra limbs and objects floating through weird physics. Hype is high-octane fuel that burns very bright but burns almost instantly if not fed by real everyday utility.

If we look back at recent industry history, we've already seen similar rises and falls. Remember Lensa AI, which had nearly every other Instagram user generating their portraits in cyberpunk or fantasy style? Back then, download charts also shot into the stratosphere, only to plummet once the fashion for neural network avatars faded.

The difference is only that Sora promised something far more ambitious than just a fun distraction for stories. Sam Altman and the team promised us a professional tool that would revolutionize media production. Yet so far, Sora in mobile format looks like an unjustifiably expensive toy that you played with one evening, genuinely marveled at, and then happily shelved once you got a notification that your subscription fee was being charged for month two.

A near-50% drop in interest in just one month is not merely a market correction—it's a serious warning signal for the entire development team. Users quickly realized that for real work, Sora lacks the tools for precise control, and for simple entertainment, it costs too much. Moreover, competition in this segment has become intense. While OpenAI rested on the laurels of its stellar launch, projects like Runway, Pika, and Luma didn't sit idle. They methodically implemented features that professionals actually need: motion brushes, camera control, and frame extension. As a result, OpenAI found itself trapped by its own aggressive marketing: they created inflated expectations that the current version of the mobile app simply cannot meet.

What does all this mean for the AI market as a whole? The period of blind enthusiasm and unlimited credit extended to any product with "AI" in its name is coming to an end. Now users and investors need more than just a pretty picture or a funny video—they need predictable results, integration into workflows, and clear value for their money. If Sora doesn't evolve soon from a random visual-wonder generator into a full-fledged work tool with deep customization options and transparent pricing, it risks becoming the most expensive and sophisticated monument to unfulfilled expectations in OpenAI's history.

The bottom line: The wow-factor is officially over, and harsh economics have begun. Can OpenAI prove that Sora is a tool for creation, not just an impressive trick for tech conference demos?