🔍 Read the full analysis: What Odessia And Business Profiles Say About OpenAI’s Next Phase on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
Get smart everyday buys delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
TL;DR
OpenAI launched a beta for business profiles and AI agents in ChatGPT on Nov. 10, giving eligible companies tools to manage information, add product feeds and view aggregated engagement data. Founder Francis Davidson said OpenAI acquired his travel startup Odessia; deal terms were not disclosed. Reports also put OpenAI’s third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion, while a separate report said operating losses widened to $10.9 billion.
OpenAI launched a beta business directory and agent tools in ChatGPT on Nov. 10 and acquired AI travel startup Odessia, adding commercial features as it builds the chatbot into a place where people can discover and compare businesses. The moves coincide with media reports that OpenAI’s third-quarter revenue reached about $10 billion, though the company has not published financial statements and a separate report put its quarterly operating losses at $10.9 billion.
The new Businesses in ChatGPT beta gives companies a Business Hub where they can claim and verify profiles, update business details and add product feeds showing prices and availability. OpenAI says participating businesses can see aggregated measures including mentions in ChatGPT responses, profile views, website clicks and topics associated with discovery. The launch details were reported by Reuters, The Verge and TechCrunch based on OpenAI’s statements.
A second feature, Business Agents, lets eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service companies offer a separate AI conversation about their products. Businesses provide the agent’s instructions and information; users can ask about offerings or compare products. OpenAI says these conversations are labeled and kept separate from the user’s main chat. Eligible businesses can also sponsor their agents as destinations for ChatGPT ads, with paid placements labeled.
Odessia founder Francis Davidson announced the acquisition and said he is joining OpenAI. The purchase price and other terms have not been disclosed. TechCrunch reported that an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed Davidson’s hire. Separately, The Information first reported third-quarter revenue of about $10 billion; Bloomberg reported growth of nearly 50% from the prior quarter, citing a person familiar with the matter. The Wall Street Journal, in a report cited by Reuters, put operating losses at $10.9 billion for the same quarter.
ChatGPT adds business tools as OpenAI expands
New profiles and AI agents give businesses ways to appear in ChatGPT and connect with potential customers. The launch and Odessia acquisition come amid media reports of rising revenue and operating losses.
What businesses can do
The beta puts business information and product details inside ChatGPT.
Manage business details
Companies can claim and verify profiles, update information, and add product prices and availability.
See aggregated engagement
Businesses can view mentions, profile views, website clicks, and topics associated with discovery.
Answer product questions
Eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses can offer separate AI conversations about their products.
A new route to customers
Profiles, product feeds, and agents could influence how people discover and compare businesses.
Businesses manage their details through the Business Hub.
Product feeds can show prices and availability.
Users can ask agents about offerings or compare products; eligible businesses may sponsor agents as destinations for ads.
Expansion meets open questions
The launch widens OpenAI’s commercial features, while important details remain unsettled.
- Odessia founder Francis Davidson announced the acquisition and said he is joining OpenAI.
- Business Agents are limited to eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses.
- OpenAI says sponsored placements are labeled and insights are aggregated.
- Odessia’s purchase price and strategic details.
- How profile verification and recommendation placement work.
- Broader rollout timing, eligibility, fees, and the thresholds for insights.
- Financial figures remain media reports; OpenAI has not published financial statements.
Businesses Become Part of ChatGPT
The profiles give businesses a direct way to manage information that ChatGPT may use when answering questions about services or products. For local shops and service providers, that could make accurate hours, locations and descriptions more important in a channel beyond conventional web search. Product feeds add prices and availability to the information businesses can supply, while the Hub’s aggregated measures offer a way to track how often they appear in ChatGPT and whether users click through.
The commercial model also brings paid placements closer to recommendations: businesses may sponsor agents that users can open from ChatGPT answers. OpenAI says sponsored placements will be labeled, and that it does not share users’ conversations or agent chats with businesses. The company says insights are aggregated and appear only after activity reaches certain thresholds. Those are the company’s stated safeguards; the launch material does not establish how users will distinguish organic suggestions from sponsored destinations in every interaction.
Reported revenue growth suggests the scale of OpenAI’s business, but the reported losses complicate any simple picture of financial strength. The figures are media reports, not audited results released by OpenAI. Together, the product launch, acquisition and financial reporting point to a company expanding both its consumer-facing commercial features and its business operations, while key details about costs and monetization remain unavailable.
Products Worth Considering
Apple MacBook Air 13.6-inch Laptop with M5 Chip, 16GB Memory, 512GB SSD, Midnight
Logitech MX Ergo S Advanced Wireless Trackball Mouse USB-C – Graphite
Brother INKvestment 6960 Wireless Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer with 11 x 17 Capabilities and 3.5 Color Touchscreen
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Shopping Tools to Business Profiles
OpenAI describes the beta as an early effort to bring businesses more deeply into ChatGPT, starting with business information, insights and conversations intended to help users make decisions. The company’s announcement, “Introducing Businesses in ChatGPT,” says the tools are meant to help businesses manage how they appear and turn interest into action.
TechCrunch reported that OpenAI previously pursued a shopping experience with direct checkout and a commission model, but later retired it in March after the effort did not gain traction. The new launch instead centers on business-managed profiles, product data and separate agents. OpenAI had also disclosed in August that ChatGPT Ads had reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate; that figure is an annualized rate, not revenue earned over a full year.
OpenAI’s financial figures in current coverage remain attributed reports. The Information reported third-quarter revenue of about $10 billion, and Bloomberg reported quarter-over-quarter growth of nearly 50%, citing a person familiar with the matter. OpenAI has not published financial statements. CFO Sarah Friar discussed the quarter in an interview with Yahoo Finance, according to the source material, but no transcript or specific statement from that interview is provided here.
Verification, Reach and Costs Remain Unclear
OpenAI has not explained precisely how businesses will be verified, how it will decide which profiles or products appear in answers, or whether profile and product data influence the order of recommendations. The company says insights are aggregated and withheld until activity passes unspecified thresholds, but it has not provided those thresholds in the source material.
The beta’s availability is also limited: Business Agents are for eligible e-commerce and online service businesses in the United States. The timetable for broader access, the full set of eligible businesses and any fees for profiles or agents have not been stated. The acquisition price and strategic details of the Odessia deal are likewise unknown.
Financially, the reported $10 billion in quarterly revenue and $10.9 billion in operating losses have not been confirmed through published financial statements from OpenAI. The source material does not detail how the loss figure was calculated or how much the new business features and Odessia acquisition are expected to contribute to revenue or costs.
Beta Rollout and Business Participation
Businesses that qualify can claim profiles through the Business Hub, with existing OpenAI Enterprise customers and advertisers able to use their OpenAI representatives. Shopify merchants can connect stores through the Business Hub or Shopify’s administration tools, according to the reporting. OpenAI has not announced a general rollout date or a schedule for expanding Business Agent access beyond eligible U.S. businesses.
The next practical test will be whether companies adopt the tools and whether profiles, feeds and agents change how ChatGPT users discover products and services. Businesses and users will also be watching for more detail about verification, sponsored-agent labeling, data protections and the way paid placements are presented. Further information about Odessia and OpenAI’s financial performance has not been provided in the source material.
Key Questions
What did OpenAI launch for businesses?
OpenAI launched a beta Business Hub for companies to claim and manage profiles, add product feeds, and view aggregated measures such as mentions, views and website clicks. It also introduced Business Agents for eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses.
What is Odessia, and what is known about the acquisition?
Odessia is an AI travel agent startup. Founder Francis Davidson announced that OpenAI acquired it and that he is joining the company. The purchase price and other deal terms have not been disclosed.
Can companies pay to appear in ChatGPT?
Eligible businesses can sponsor their Business Agent as a destination for ChatGPT Ads, and OpenAI says sponsored placements will be labeled. The source material does not specify all advertising arrangements or how often sponsored agents will appear.
Has OpenAI confirmed its third-quarter financial results?
No. Media outlets reported third-quarter revenue of about $10 billion and operating losses of $10.9 billion, but OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming those figures. They should be treated as reported figures, not company-issued financial results.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
