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OpenAI will shut Sora's API as Kling turns AI video into real revenue

Kling raised $2.8B after topping RMB850M in quarterly revenue; Sora's closure also erased Disney's planned $1B investment.

By Ryan Merket · Published Sep 20th, 2026, 11:28pm CT · Updated Oct 14th, 2026, 12:11pm CT

Why it matters

AI video's winners are being selected by unit economics and repeat workflows. Launch-day virality proved disposable when every generated clip carried a real compute bill.

A desk is visually split, showing a dim phone screen on one side representing a failing consumer video service, and a bright laptop displaying a business video with a stack of money on the other.

OpenAI will switch off Sora's API on September 24th, five months after closing the video generator's app and website. The shutdown ends OpenAI's short run as a supplier of generative video models to developers and completes a retreat from the consumer video product that topped Apple's US App Store shortly after launching.…

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