The Mark Cuban Podcast
Episode: Want Sora Access? OpenAI’s App Just Hit 1 Million Downloads
Date: October 17, 2025
Host: Mark Cuban (with guest analysis and community involvement)
Episode Overview
This episode explores the explosive launch and early adoption of OpenAI’s new video model app, Sora 2, which has rapidly amassed over 1 million downloads. The host breaks down Sora's growth metrics, discusses its unique remix and deepfake capabilities, and offers listeners tips on how to gain access despite its invite-only status. The conversation blends excitement with caution, touching on both the creative potential and the challenges around moderation and ethical concerns.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Sora’s Viral Growth and Context
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OpenAI’s Sora 2 has captured massive attention across tech and business platforms, reaching over 1 million downloads in 5 days—even faster than ChatGPT’s app launch.
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Referencing Bill Peeble from OpenAI:
"Sora hit a million app downloads in five days even faster than ChatGPT did, despite the invite flow and only targeting North America" (01:20)
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Breakdown of Numbers:
- Sora saw approximately 627,000 iOS downloads in its first week (with 606,000 for ChatGPT in its U.S.-only launch).
- The app’s growth is “seeded” by ChatGPT’s established user base of 800 million weekly users.
- Sora is only available in U.S. and Canada; no Android version yet.
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Perspective on Metrics:
Host argues the download number is slightly misleading:"A lot of people downloaded this because they wanted to use it and they realized that needed an invite code. [...] So I think that like a million downloads might be a slightly misleading number..." (20:00)
2. App Features and Demos
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Creativity & Audio:
Sora allows users to generate both video and audio by describing the desired content.- "You explain what the video is going to be of and it will also generate the audio, background, the sound effects." (06:30)
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Remix Functionality:
- Users can remix existing videos, including pop culture scenarios and “funny skits” (e.g., Sam Altman fighting on the Las Vegas Sphere).
- Notably, users can clone themselves in the app by recording a brief video reading three numbers and moving their heads (“felt like the security on like a finance app…” 10:00).
- Result: A video “clone” that others can remix—users can restrict how their likeness is used (e.g., “no profanity”).
3. Risks, Guardrails & Moderation
- Concerns about the potential for deepfakes and misuse, especially as people have been cloning both living individuals and historical figures like Martin Luther King Jr.
- OpenAI has implemented guardrails:
"There's a bunch of guardrails. I could probably tighten that up, make it more restrictive [...] you don't have to make a deep fake or enable that on your account." (18:20)
- Complaints about over-moderation:
Many users report attempts to generate content being blocked, though the host hasn’t personally encountered restrictions (19:00).
4. Comparisons and Industry Impact
- Sora’s rapid adoption is likened to Threads’ launch, highlighting how an existing massive user base can drive explosive growth.
- The app quickly reached #1 in the iOS App Store—surpassing launches by other AI apps like Anthropic’s Claude and Microsoft’s Copilot, and matching hype-levels seen with XCI’s Grok (22:30).
5. Getting Access: Invite Strategies and Community
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Access to Sora remains exclusive:
- Each invitee receives six invites to pass along; after that, no more.
- The host set up a thread in his community (AI Hustle School) to share, screenshot, and circulate invite codes—expanding communal access (“unlimited invite codes” via chain sharing).
- Social media “invite hunts” drive scarcity and demand (invites quickly disappear).
"If you are looking for an invite code to get access to Sora...go join the school community. We started making a Sora 2 invite code thread..." (13:30)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Sora's Viral Growth:
"Sora hit a million app downloads in five days even faster than ChatGPT did, despite the invite flow and only targeting North America." (Bill Peeble, 01:20) -
On User Cloning:
"It's actually kind of crazy because you're only reading three numbers...then they were able to create a video clone of myself. And now people can remix using my face to do anything." (10:20) -
On Moderation Concerns:
"They're getting a lot of criticism for over-moderation...basically everything you try to generate a video of they say is like blocked. I haven't had anything blocked yet..." (19:20) -
On Invite Scarcity:
"There was thousands of people that had liked the post, but the person only had six invite codes...one minute later...the invites were gone." (15:30) -
On Download Metrics:
"A million downloads might be a slightly misleading number because a lot of people just downloaded to try to get it and then realized that they couldn't actually log in." (20:20)
Important Timestamps
- 01:20 – Sora’s app download milestone; comparison with ChatGPT
- 06:30 – Description and demo of Sora’s video/audio generation features
- 10:00 – User cloning process; security and restrictions
- 13:30 – How to get a Sora invite; community invite thread explained
- 15:30 – Scarcity of invite codes and social media scramble
- 18:20 – Deepfake guardrails and ethical considerations
- 19:00 – User complaints about over-moderation
- 20:00 – Analysis of download metric reliability
- 22:30 – Sora’s position in the App Store vs. other AI apps
Conclusion
The episode paints a vivid picture of Sora 2’s blockbuster debut, driven largely by OpenAI’s existing user ecosystem. While the technological leap—especially around remixes, audio, and cloning—is remarkable, the host balances the enthusiasm with concerns about access barriers, moderation, and ethical use. For those eager to join Sora, community-driven invite threads offer the best chance, and the episode encourages listeners to participate.
Tone: Energetic and hands-on, with both technical detail and practical advice for listeners eager to explore the leading edge of AI video generation.