Kevin Weil and Bill Peebles, key figures in the company's ambitious projects including Sora, are leaving to pursue other ventures.

The exits come as OpenAI refocuses on enterprise AI, with Sora shut down due to financial losses. Prism, an AI platform for science, is being integrated into existing research teams under Weil’s post.

Earlier this year, the team faced a backlash over claiming GPT-5 solved unsolved mathematical problems, quickly retracting its claim after verification failed.

Peebles credited Sora with sparking industry investment in video tools but argued that such projects require space outside of OpenAI's main roadmap to thrive long-term.

The departure also includes Srinivas Narayanan, CTO of enterprise applications, who is leaving for family reasons. As OpenAI narrows its focus, the future of these side quests remains uncertain.