Sam Altman explains killing Sora and Atlas to focus on general intelligence
sahilypatel · x · 2026-08-24
In a recent interview, Sam Altman explained the strategic reasoning behind discontinuing OpenAI's Sora and Atlas browser projects. He noted that while these products were excellent and engaging, resource constraints necessitated trade-offs. Sora consumed significant compute but was deemed less critical than Codex, and Atlas, despite being a superior browser, was not a strategic focus. Altman emphasized that sacrificing good ideas for great ones is the hardest lesson for entrepreneurs, stating that OpenAI's current priority is achieving general intelligence for knowledge work and science.
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