What happened
OpenAI product lead Thibault Sottiaux said new signups for the top-tier ChatGPT Pro (20x) plan reopen September 29, after being paused September 10 to handle demand from the GPT-6 Astra model published September 3.
Why it matters
The pause and reopen show OpenAI is managing capacity for its most demanding users, not a permanent shutdown, so existing subscribers are unaffected.
What to watch
The change hinges on Sottiaux's stated plan to add a feature that does not consume usage quota, likely at OpenAI DevDay 2026 in San Francisco on September 29.
WHO IT HITSThis matters most to individual power users and teams who were blocked from signing up for ChatGPT Pro (20x) during the pause and now have a date to act on.
Summaries like this, in your inbox every morning.
OpenAI first introduced the GPT-6 Astra model on September 3, and the surge in demand led the company to stop accepting new subscribers for its highest-tier ChatGPT Pro (20x) plan just a week later, on September 10. Product lead Thibault Sottiaux announced on September 28 that signups would resume the following day. He also said the way usage is calculated will change, citing lower API prices achieved through model efficiency improvements.
The company is also dropping the temporary five-hour usage limit that had been removed earlier. Sottiaux added that a new feature which does not consume subscription usage quota will be added on September 29. That feature is expected to be introduced at OpenAI DevDay 2026, an event scheduled for that same day in San Francisco.
The outcome hinges on whether OpenAI can keep enough capacity available as demand for GPT-6 Astra continues, and on how smoothly the new quota-free feature is received by existing subscribers. For now, the reopening signals that the company believes it has caught up with the load that forced the pause.
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