🔍 Read the full analysis: The AI Race Takes A New Turn With OpenAI’s Profiles, Odessia And Revenue on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
OpenAI launched a beta called Businesses in ChatGPT on Nov. 10, allowing companies to claim profiles, share product information and track aggregated discovery metrics. The same day, founder Francis Davidson said OpenAI had acquired his travel-agent startup Odessia; separate media reports put OpenAI’s third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion and operating losses at $10.9 billion.
OpenAI launched a beta business directory and customer-facing agents inside ChatGPT on Nov. 10, giving companies new ways to manage how they appear in chatbot answers and offer product information to users. The launch coincided with founder Francis Davidson’s announcement that OpenAI acquired his AI travel startup Odessia; separate reports put OpenAI’s third-quarter revenue near $10 billion and its operating losses at $10.9 billion.
OpenAI’s new Businesses in ChatGPT beta includes a Business Hub where companies can claim and verify a profile, update business details and provide product feeds with pricing and availability. According to OpenAI, as reported by Reuters and other outlets, participating businesses can view aggregated data on mentions, profile views, website clicks and discovery topics. OpenAI has not publicly detailed the full verification process.
A second feature lets eligible U.S. e-commerce and online-service businesses create Business Agents. Users who encounter an agent in a ChatGPT answer can open a separate conversation about that company’s offerings. Businesses provide the agent’s instructions and supporting information. OpenAI says these chats are labeled and kept separate from the user’s main conversation. Businesses may also sponsor their agent as a destination for ChatGPT Ads; sponsored placements are labeled.
Odessia founder Francis Davidson announced the acquisition and said he would join OpenAI. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed Davidson’s hire to TechCrunch, but the financial terms were not disclosed. The revenue figure was first reported by The Information; Bloomberg reported nearly 50% growth from the preceding quarter, citing a person familiar with the matter. OpenAI has not published financial statements. The Wall Street Journal, as reported by Reuters, put third-quarter operating losses at $10.9 billion.
OpenAI brings businesses into ChatGPT as revenue and losses draw attention
A new beta gives companies tools to shape how they appear in ChatGPT. Separate media reports highlight the scale of OpenAI’s revenue and operating losses.
What businesses can do
The beta connects company information, customer conversations and sponsored placements inside ChatGPT.
Manage a profile
Claim a profile, update business details and provide product feeds with pricing and availability.
Answer company questions
Eligible U.S. businesses can offer separate conversations about their products and services.
See aggregated activity
Businesses can view mentions, profile views, website clicks and discovery topics.
Three ways to reach users
Profiles and product feeds provide information that may shape ChatGPT answers.
Users can open a separate conversation with a Business Agent.
Businesses may promote an agent as a ChatGPT Ads destination; sponsored placements are labeled.
What is known about the deal
- Founder Francis Davidson announced OpenAI acquired his travel startup.
- OpenAI confirmed Davidson’s hire.
- Acquisition terms and Odessia’s role at OpenAI.
- How its technology or staff will be integrated.
Businesses Enter ChatGPT Discovery
The beta gives companies a direct way to supply information that may shape how ChatGPT describes their products and services. For a business, accurate profiles and product feeds could matter when users ask the chatbot for recommendations or comparisons. The new metrics also offer a limited view of how a company is encountered inside ChatGPT, rather than relying only on website traffic or conventional search reporting.
The design combines organic discovery, customer-service conversations and paid placement. A business can provide facts for ChatGPT to use, invite users into a company-run agent, and sponsor that agent as an ad destination. That makes clear labeling and separation important to users deciding whether a response is an independent answer, a business interaction or paid placement. OpenAI says sponsored placements are labeled and that it does not share users’ conversations or Business Agent chats with companies.
The financial reports add a separate measure of scale and cost. Revenue near $10 billion in a quarter, if accurate, points to substantial commercial activity; the reported $10.9 billion operating loss shows that revenue alone does not establish profitability. The figures are media reports, not a published financial statement from OpenAI.
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From ChatGPT Answers to Business Tools
OpenAI described the launch as an early step to bring businesses into ChatGPT, with tools for managing business information, gaining insights and turning user interest into action. The comparison with Google Business Profile is useful but limited: both involve businesses supplying information and tracking how people find them, while OpenAI’s tools operate within conversational answers and agents.
OpenAI previously pursued shopping features that included direct checkout and a commission model. TechCrunch reported that effort did not gain traction and was retired in March. The new beta instead centers on business-supplied data and conversations, alongside advertising. OpenAI said in August that ChatGPT Ads had reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate, a company-reported figure distinct from the third-quarter revenue estimate cited in media reports.
The Odessia acquisition adds a travel-related business to the same day’s developments, but the available information does not establish how its technology or staff will be incorporated. Davidson’s move to OpenAI is confirmed by the company spokesperson’s statement to TechCrunch; acquisition terms remain undisclosed.
“Davidson announced that OpenAI had acquired Odessia and that he was joining OpenAI.”
— Francis Davidson, Odessia founder
Verification, Terms and Financial Detail
OpenAI has not explained the precise verification criteria for every business or how profiles and product feeds may affect which companies appear in ChatGPT answers. The beta’s availability beyond eligible U.S. e-commerce and online-service businesses is also not specified in the source material.
OpenAI says business insights are aggregated and appear only after activity reaches certain thresholds, but it has not specified those thresholds. It also says it does not share users’ conversations or Business Agent chats with businesses. The precise controls available to users, and how OpenAI audits company-provided agent instructions and product information, are not described here.
Odessia’s purchase price, strategic role and integration timeline are unknown. OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming the reported quarterly revenue or loss figures. The revenue estimate and the loss figure come from separate media reports, so their accounting details and precise relationship are not fully established by the available information.
Beta Access and Integration Plans
Businesses seeking access will need to follow OpenAI’s Business Hub process or, for some existing customers and advertisers, contact their OpenAI representative. Shopify merchants can connect stores through Business Hub or the Shopify admin, according to the source material. OpenAI has not announced a broader rollout date or a timetable for expanding Business Agent eligibility.
The next developments to watch are whether OpenAI publishes more detail about verification, insight thresholds and agent safeguards, and whether it discloses how Odessia will fit into its products. For users and companies, the practical test will be whether business information stays accurate and whether the boundary between recommendations, company-run agents and paid placements remains clear. Further financial detail would require OpenAI disclosures or additional reporting.
Key Questions
What did OpenAI launch on Nov. 10?
OpenAI began a beta called Businesses in ChatGPT. It includes a Business Hub for claiming profiles, updating information, adding product feeds and viewing aggregated discovery metrics, as well as Business Agents for eligible companies.
Can any company create a Business Agent?
No. At launch, the source says Business Agents are limited to eligible e-commerce and online-service businesses in the United States. OpenAI has not provided a general expansion schedule.
Did OpenAI confirm the reported $10 billion in revenue?
The figure was reported by The Information, and Bloomberg reported nearly 50% growth from the prior quarter, citing a person familiar with the matter. OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming the figure in the source material.
What is known about the Odessia acquisition?
Founder Francis Davidson announced that OpenAI acquired the AI travel startup and that he was joining OpenAI. The purchase terms and plans for integrating Odessia have not been disclosed.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
