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OpenAI launched a beta on November 10 that lets eligible businesses manage profiles, product information and AI agents in ChatGPT. The same day, Odessia’s founder announced the travel startup’s acquisition, while media reports put OpenAI’s third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion and operating losses at $10.9 billion.
OpenAI launched a beta on November 10 that lets businesses claim profiles, add product information and offer AI agents inside ChatGPT, giving companies new ways to appear in product and service searches. The announcement coincided with Odessia founder Francis Davidson saying OpenAI had acquired his travel-agent startup; separate media reports put OpenAI’s third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion.
The new Business Hub allows companies to claim and verify a profile, update business details and provide product feeds with pricing and availability. According to OpenAI, as reported by Reuters, The Verge and TechCrunch, the Hub also provides aggregated measurements including mentions in ChatGPT answers, profile views, website clicks and topics associated with discovery. OpenAI has not publicly detailed the verification process.
A second feature, Business Agents, allows eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses to offer a separate AI conversation about their products or services. Businesses provide the agent’s instructions and context. OpenAI says these chats are labeled and kept separate from the user’s main conversation. Businesses may sponsor their agents as destinations for ChatGPT Ads, with sponsored placements labeled.
OpenAI says it does not share users’ conversations or Business Agent chats with businesses, and that activity insights appear only after certain thresholds are met. Existing Enterprise customers and advertisers can claim businesses through an OpenAI representative; Shopify merchants can connect through Business Hub or Shopify’s admin. Odessia’s acquisition terms were not disclosed. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed Davidson’s hire to TechCrunch.
A New Business Listing Channel
Business Hub gives companies a way to supply information that ChatGPT may use when people ask for recommendations or compare products. The reported metrics could also offer businesses a view of how often they appear in answers and whether users click through to their websites. That creates a new measure of visibility alongside established search and advertising channels, though the announcement does not show how much traffic or sales the feature will generate.
The paid-agent option links product discovery to advertising: a business may sponsor the destination where a customer asks follow-up questions. That could make clear labeling and the separation of sponsored placements from organic recommendations significant for users deciding how much weight to give an answer. OpenAI says sponsored placements are labeled, but the announcement does not describe in detail how sponsorship affects ranking or recommendations.
The revenue and loss reports add financial context to the expansion. The Information reported third-quarter revenue of about $10 billion, while Bloomberg reported growth of nearly 50% from the prior quarter, citing a person familiar with the matter. Reuters, citing a Wall Street Journal report, said operating losses widened to $10.9 billion in the same quarter. Together, the reports point to substantial revenue alongside high costs; OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming those figures.
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From ChatGPT Shopping to Business Hub
OpenAI describes the beta as an early step toward bringing businesses more deeply into ChatGPT, starting with business information, insights and conversations that can help users make decisions. The company has also been developing advertising in ChatGPT. In August, OpenAI said its ads had reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate; that figure was the company’s stated run rate, not a report of quarterly ad revenue.
TechCrunch reported that an earlier effort to make ChatGPT a shopping hub, with direct checkout and a commission model, did not take off and was retired in March. The new approach described in the announcement centers on business profiles, product feeds, referral measurements and conversations with agents. The available reporting does not establish whether this model will lead to transactions inside ChatGPT.
Odessia is a separate development within the same day’s news. Founder Francis Davidson announced the acquisition and said he would join OpenAI. The source material gives no purchase price or detail on how the startup’s travel-agent technology or team will fit into OpenAI’s products.
“Davidson announced that OpenAI had acquired his AI travel-agent startup and that he was joining OpenAI.”
— Odessia founder Francis Davidson
Verification, Reach and Costs
OpenAI has not explained the specific checks used to verify businesses or said how broadly the beta is available beyond the stated eligibility for U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses using agents. The company also has not disclosed the activity thresholds that determine when a business can see aggregated insights.
It remains unclear how profiles and agents will affect ChatGPT recommendations, how sponsorship interacts with other results, and whether businesses will see meaningful customer visits or sales from the features. OpenAI has said it does not share user conversations or agent chats with businesses, but the source material does not provide further detail about data handling.
The Odessia acquisition price and integration plans are unknown. OpenAI has not released financial statements confirming the revenue and loss figures reported by news organizations; the revenue estimate and loss figure should be treated as reported information, not company-published accounts.
Beta Rollout and Business Uptake
OpenAI says the Business Hub and Business Agents are in beta. Companies that qualify can claim their profiles through the routes described by OpenAI, including OpenAI representatives for existing Enterprise customers and advertisers, and Shopify connections for merchants. The company has not announced a broader launch date or further rollout milestones.
The next indicators will be whether more businesses gain access, what verification and insight thresholds OpenAI sets, and whether the profiles and agents produce measurable referrals or customer activity. Further details about Odessia’s role and OpenAI’s financial performance have not been announced in the source material.
Key Questions
What did OpenAI launch for businesses?
OpenAI launched a beta Business Hub for claiming profiles, updating details, adding product feeds and viewing aggregated visibility measures. It also introduced Business Agents for eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses.
Can businesses advertise through Business Agents?
OpenAI says businesses can sponsor their agents as destinations for ChatGPT Ads. Sponsored placements are labeled, according to the company.
Did OpenAI acquire Odessia?
Odessia founder Francis Davidson announced the acquisition and said he would join OpenAI. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed his hire to TechCrunch. The purchase terms were not disclosed.
How much revenue did OpenAI report for the third quarter?
Media reports put third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion, with Bloomberg reporting nearly 50% growth over the prior quarter, citing a person familiar with the matter. OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming the figures.
What remains unknown about the new business features?
OpenAI has not detailed its verification process, the thresholds for displaying insights, the beta’s broader availability or how sponsored agents may affect recommendations. The source material also does not establish whether the features will drive sales.
Source: Thorsten Meyer AI
