The Joe Rogan Experience of AI

Episode: Sora by OpenAI Hits 1 Million Downloads: Invite Code Guide

Date: October 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the explosive growth and viral popularity of Sora 2, OpenAI’s new AI-powered video model. The host analyzes key usage metrics, shares hands-on experiences with the platform’s features (including cloning, remixing, and invite codes), discusses public reception and moderation challenges, and provides practical advice on how to gain access to the invite-only app.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sora’s Viral Growth and Surging Metrics

• Immediate virality: OpenAI’s Sora 2 quickly became the talk of the tech world, drawing attention on every major platform.
• Record-breaking app downloads: The big headline was Sora hitting 1 million app downloads within just five days—faster than ChatGPT.
  • “[Bill Peeble over at OpenAI] said Sora hit a million app downloads in five days even faster than ChatGPT did, despite the invite flow and only targeting North America. Team working hard to keep up with the surging growth, more features and fixes to over moderation on the way.” (Host quoting Bill Peeble, 02:13)
• Statistical nuance: The host highlights that although the numbers are impressive, Sora's availability in both Canada and the U.S. (unlike ChatGPT’s U.S.-only launch) slightly skews comparisons.
  • “So with an estimate of about 45,000 installs coming from Canada, it's actually only 96% [of ChatGPT's]. It didn't actually get quite as much as ChatGPT's app.” (04:05)
• Seeding effect: Sora’s adoption is driven by the existing massive ChatGPT user base.
  • "ChatGPT is what is seeding all the growth in Sora. Everyone is trying it because of ChatGPT. That being said, it is a completely different app.” (05:47)

2. Features: Cloning, Remixing, and Video Creation

• App experience explained: The host gives a virtual walkthrough of Sora’s creative video generation, including automatically generated audio and sound effects.
  • “You explain what the video is going to be of and it will also generate the audio, the background, the sound effects.” (07:05)
• Remix functionality: Users can remix existing videos, alter scenarios, or swap characters—like making Sam Altman fight on the Las Vegas Sphere.
• Cloning feature:
  • Users can “clone” themselves into the app with only three number prompts and head movements, enabling others to remix their likeness.
  • The host shares a personal example: “It felt like the security on like a finance app. But basically just doing that, they were able to create a video clone of myself.” (11:50)
  • Guardrails allow restrictions: “You can actually put some restrictions inside to say like things that you don't want it to make you doing, which was sort of interesting. … No profanity, like me cussing anyone out, basically.” (12:16)

3. Invite Code System & Access Barriers

• Highly limited and viral invite system: Sora is invite-only; each user receives six invites, and invite codes are in extremely high demand.
  • “If you get access to the platform, you can only invite…six more people and then you're out. And those six people, then they get six invites and everyone gets six invites.” (15:10)
• Community workaround: The host created a dedicated thread in their Hustle School community for sharing and replenishing invite codes. Screenshots keep the thread current and accessible to all.
  • “Anyone that asked for, I gave them the invite code, but I told them to go screenshot their invite codes and post them into the thread. And so then anytime someone, like anytime one of the codes gets used up, you can just go to the next code in the list.” (16:00)
• Illustrating scarcity: “You post it and literally, I kid you not, like, like one minute later, after he posted it, the invites were gone. Right? So there's thousands of people just trying to get on this.” (18:25)

4. Download Metrics and Real Usage vs. Hype

• Download stats context: Many users download the app before realizing they need an invite to use it; numbers may be inflated relative to real access.
  • “A lot of people downloaded this because they wanted to use it and they realized that needed an invite code. And that was like me.” (20:13)
• Comparison to other AI launches: Sora outpaced other major AI apps in App Store rankings, despite strict regional and invite limitations.
• Sora 2 model and new capabilities: Enhanced cloning and remixing are powered by OpenAI’s Sora 2 model, enabling sophisticated deepfakes and creative remixes.

5. Deepfakes, Guardrails & Moderation

• Realistic deepfake generation: The host explores the app’s ability to generate convincing deepfakes, echoing both excitement and concern.
  • “People, a lot of people are worried about the deep fakes, but they do have some like, interesting guardrails on there.” (27:10)
  • “Some people are actually creating deep fakes of dead people… saw a whole bunch of like Martin Luther King Jr. Videos, which I think people deep faked him.” (28:00)
• User-controlled guardrails: Cloned likenesses can be restricted by users to prevent unwanted content.
• Community feedback: Some users express frustration with over-moderation limiting the scope of video generation.
  • “Everyone basically complaining that there is over moderation…they're trying to be careful in this big launch right now, but that is something that they're, that people are saying like, basically everything you try to generate a video of they say is like blocked.” (29:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Sora’s viral success:

  “Sora hit a million app downloads in five days even faster than ChatGPT did, despite the invite flow and only targeting North America.”
  (02:13, quoting Bill Peeble)

• On seeding effect and growth:

  “It's impressive for sure, but also it's kind of the threads argument. ChatGPT started from nothing. Sora started with a pool of 800 million weekly active users.”
  (05:30, quoting Jordan Talks Everyday AI)

• On the remix feature:

  “The remix feature is pretty cool. There's a bunch of people doing funny skits. Also very dumb skits.”
  (09:10)

• On the cloning process:

  “It felt like the security on a finance app. But basically just doing that, they were able to create a video clone of myself. And now people can remix using my face to do anything.”
  (11:50)

• On invite scarcity:

  “You post it and literally, I kid you not, like, like one minute later, after he posted it, the invites were gone. Right? So there's thousands of people just trying to get on this.”
  (18:25)

• On app store #1 ranking:

  “By Friday, just a few days after it had launched, it reached number one in the iOS app store, which is pretty huge.”
  (22:40)

• On moderation and deepfakes:

  “People, a lot of people are worried about the deep fakes, but they do have some like, interesting guardrails on there, like I mentioned, right?”
  (27:10)

Important Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------------------|--------------| | Sora’s viral growth and usage metrics | 01:00–05:47 | | Nuance in download stats: Canada vs. US | 03:45–05:00 | | Demonstration of video and remix features | 07:05–10:30 | | Cloning process and user guardrails | 11:50–13:00 | | Invite system limitations and workaround | 15:10–18:25 | | App download numbers and real access discussion | 20:13–22:40 | | App Store #1 ranking and AI app comparisons | 22:40–24:10 | | The power and risks of deepfakes | 27:10–29:00 | | User complaints about moderation | 29:00–30:00 |

Conclusion

The host paints a vivid picture of Sora 2’s meteoric rise, the creativity unleashed by its video tools, and the buzz around gaining access through limited invite codes. Despite being restricted to North America and using a referral system, Sora’s immediate popularity is fueled by OpenAI’s existing user base, sophisticated features, and viral community culture. Concerns about deepfakes and moderation are present, but the underlying tone is one of excitement and amazement at the pace of AI-powered video technology evolution.