OpenAI pauses $200 Pro sign-ups for Astra

OpenAI has paused new sign-ups for its $200-a-month ChatGPT Pro plan, saying demand for GPT-6 Astra is putting the most strain on its systems, TechCrunch reports from a post by product leader Thibault Sottiaux. Other plans and the API remain available, making this capacity rationing rather than a model withdrawal. Builders planning Astra pilots should budget around access and throughput, and the archive’s Astra analysis already treats capability gating as a procurement constraint.