I've been involved with startups and investing, and I want to share what’s really going on with Sora. This is the kind of insight you won’t read in the headlines.
Why Most Approaches Fail
Many common approaches to Sora are flawed at the root.
The root cause is usually one of three things:
Copying what big companies do without understanding why they do it. What works for Google doesn't work for a 10-person startup.
Over-engineering the solution when a simple approach would work better. I've seen teams spend six months building something that could have been done in two weeks.
Ignoring the human element. Technology is the easy part. Getting people to actually use it is where the real challenge lives.
The Framework That Actually Works
Here is a simple framework for evaluating Sora. It's not complicated, but it requires discipline.
Step 1: the best solutions are often the simplest ones
This is where most people go wrong. They skip this step entirely and jump straight to execution. Don't do that.
Step 2: customer feedback is the only metric that matters
Once you have the foundation right, this becomes much easier. I've watched founders struggle with this for months when the answer was staring them in the face.
Step 3: Iterate relentlessly
Nothing works perfectly the first time. The companies that get Sora right treat it as an ongoing process, not a one-time project.
What I've Learned From 27 Companies
A few patterns in Sora come up again and again.
The founders who handle Sora well understand that the data tells a different story than your gut.
The AI Angle
Any discussion of Sora in 2026 has to include AI. As someone who's invested in Anthropic, OpenAI, Scale AI, and Hugging Face, I have a front-row seat to how AI is transforming this space.
The short version: AI makes good practitioners better and bad practitioners worse. It's an amplifier, not a replacement.
Some teams use AI to get far more out of Sora. Others spend heavily on AI that solves the wrong problem. The difference comes down to understanding what you're actually trying to achieve.
This connects to broader themes around image generation, AI art, generative media, Stable Diffusion, AI video that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
Final Thoughts
There are no shortcuts in Sora, but there are smarter paths.
The strongest teams treat Sora as a competitive advantage, not a checkbox. They invest in it early, measure it obsessively, and never stop improving.
If you're just getting started with Sora, don't be intimidated. Everyone starts somewhere. The key is to start with the right mindset and the right framework, and then execute like your company depends on it. Because it probably does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:What's the most common pushback you get on this?
People often push back by citing exceptions or edge cases. And they're usually right that exceptions exist. But building a strategy around exceptions rather than patterns is a losing game for most founders.
Q:Do all experts agree with this view?
No, and that's fine. The best ideas in business are often contrarian. I share my perspective based on my experience and data, but I encourage you to seek out opposing viewpoints and form your own conclusions.
Q:How has this view evolved over time?
My thinking on most topics has changed significantly over the years. Early in my career, I held many conventional views that experience proved wrong. I try to update my beliefs when the evidence changes.