OpenAI stopped new $200 Pro sign-ups a week after the GPT-6 Astra launch, and Plus users' Astra allowance is half what they had on Sol
TechCrunch (corroborated by Computerworld, OpenAI Help Center; via r/OpenAI)·high signal
Thibault Sottiaux announced on September 10 that OpenAI had paused new Pro sign-ups and upgrades, calling Astra demand "really unprecedented". The API, Go and Plus plans are still open, and no reopening date was given. OpenAI's help center now estimates 5 to 45 Astra messages per five-hour window on Plus, against 10 to 100 under GPT-5.6 Sol. Threads on r/OpenAI and r/singularity read the pause as compute rationing, not a demand win.