OpenAI temporarily paused new sign-ups for its $200-per-month ChatGPT Pro tier on September 10, saying demand for GPT-6 Astra was putting unprecedented strain on its infrastructure. Product leader Thibault (Tibo) Sottiaux announced the move on X, calling the Pro tier the heaviest load on the company's systems and framing the pause as 'the smallest step that allows us to continue giving the broadest access possible.'

Plus, Go and API access remain open. A day earlier he had warned that demand was 'really unprecedented' and that a pause might be needed to protect service quality for existing subscribers. OpenAI gave no reopen date. (Filed September 21 as backfill.)