🔍 Read the full analysis: OpenAI’s Expansion Beyond Chatbots: Profiles, Odessia And A Strong Quarter on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
OpenAI launched a beta on Nov. 10 that lets businesses claim ChatGPT profiles, provide product information and, for some U.S. businesses, offer labeled AI agents. The launch came as reports put third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion, while another report said operating losses widened to $10.9 billion; OpenAI has not published financial statements. OpenAI also acquired travel startup Odessia, though the deal terms were not disclosed.
OpenAI launched a beta business hub in ChatGPT on Nov. 10, allowing companies to claim profiles, provide product details and track aggregated activity, as the company also acquired AI travel startup Odessia. The developments came amid reports that OpenAI’s third-quarter revenue reached about $10 billion, alongside a separate report that its operating losses widened to $10.9 billion.
OpenAI’s beta, called Businesses in ChatGPT, gives companies a way to claim and verify a business profile, update information and submit product feeds with prices and availability. According to OpenAI, as reported by Reuters and other outlets, the Business Hub also provides aggregated figures on mentions, profile views and website clicks, plus topics through which people discover a business. The company has not detailed the full verification process.
A second feature lets eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses offer a Business Agent inside ChatGPT. Users can open a separately labeled chat with an agent to ask about a company’s offerings or compare products. Businesses supply the agent’s instructions and information. OpenAI says these chats remain separate from a user’s main conversation and that it does not share users’ conversations with businesses. Activity insights are shown only after certain thresholds are met.
Businesses may sponsor their agents and use them as destinations for ChatGPT Ads, with paid placements labeled. The acquisition news was announced by Odessia founder Francis Davidson, who said he was joining OpenAI; an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed his hire to TechCrunch. The acquisition price and other terms were not disclosed. Separately, The Information reported roughly $10 billion in third-quarter revenue, while Bloomberg, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported growth of nearly 50% from the previous quarter. The Wall Street Journal, as reported by Reuters, put operating losses at $10.9 billion.
Beyond chatbots OpenAI’s business push
Businesses can now manage profiles and offer labeled AI agents in ChatGPT as OpenAI expands into commerce and travel.
Businesses enter ChatGPT
The beta gives companies tools to shape how they appear and see aggregated activity.
Business information
Companies can claim profiles, update details and submit product feeds with prices and availability.
Aggregated activity
Eligible businesses can see mentions, profile views, website clicks and discovery topics after activity thresholds are met.
Labeled business chats
Some U.S. businesses can offer agents for product questions and comparisons. Sponsored agents and ad destinations are labeled.
A broader expansion
The launch connects business discovery with a separate move into travel.
Businesses add information that can help ChatGPT describe their offerings.
Business Agents let users ask about offerings in a separate chat.
OpenAI acquired the AI travel startup; founder Francis Davidson is joining OpenAI.
What remains uncertain
The beta and reported financial figures leave important details open.
- Verification process and analytics thresholds are unspecified.
- No timetable for wider availability has been announced.
- Odessia’s acquisition price and terms were not disclosed.
- OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming the figures.
- Reported revenue growth does not establish profitability.
- Operating losses show the costs reported alongside expansion.
Businesses Enter ChatGPT Discovery
The launch gives businesses new ways to manage how they appear in ChatGPT’s answers and to measure some of the attention they receive there. The model resembles established business-listing tools: accurate company details and current product information can help an assistant describe what a business offers. OpenAI’s metrics may also give companies a direct, if aggregated, view of referrals and visibility inside the service.
For users, business profiles and agents could make product research and comparison more interactive. They also bring commercial interests closer to answers people may use when choosing a service or product. OpenAI says sponsored placements will be labeled and agent chats kept separate, but users will still need to distinguish ordinary ChatGPT responses from business-provided information and paid destinations.
The financial reports add another dimension. Revenue growth does not by itself establish profitability, and the reported $10.9 billion operating loss points to the costs accompanying OpenAI’s expansion. Because the figures have not been published in company financial statements, they should be treated as reported figures rather than audited public results.
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From Shopping Tools to Business Profiles
OpenAI described the beta as an early step toward bringing businesses more deeply into ChatGPT. Its stated starting points are accurate business information, useful insights and conversations that help people make decisions. Existing Enterprise customers and advertisers can claim profiles through an OpenAI representative, while Shopify merchants can connect through Business Hub or Shopify’s admin tools, according to coverage of the announcement.
The move follows an earlier attempt to make ChatGPT a shopping destination with direct checkout and commissions. TechCrunch reported that the effort did not gain traction and was retired in March. The new approach instead emphasizes business information, product feeds and conversations with agents, with paid placements available as a separate route.
OpenAI’s advertising activity also predates this launch. The company said in August that ChatGPT Ads had reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate. That company-reported figure is distinct from the third-quarter revenue estimates published by media outlets and does not establish how much the new business tools will contribute.
“Davidson announced that OpenAI acquired Odessia and that he is joining OpenAI.”
— Francis Davidson, Odessia founder
Verification and Financial Details
Key details remain undisclosed. OpenAI has not explained precisely how businesses are verified, how product feeds or profile information will affect ChatGPT responses, or what eligibility requirements apply beyond the stated launch categories and U.S. availability for Business Agents. The company also has not said when the beta will expand to other markets or business types.
OpenAI says it does not share users’ conversations or Business Agent chats with businesses, and that analytics appear only after activity passes thresholds. The company has not provided the threshold levels in the supplied announcement coverage. Odessia’s acquisition price and terms are unknown. The quarterly revenue, growth and operating-loss figures come from media reports; OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming them.
Beta Rollout and Business Adoption
Businesses that meet the launch criteria can begin claiming profiles through Business Hub, with Shopify merchants able to connect their stores through the available integrations. OpenAI has not announced a timetable for a broader rollout. The immediate test will be whether companies adopt the tools and whether profile information, product feeds and agents become useful additions to ChatGPT’s answers without blurring the line between recommendations and advertising.
Further clarity may come as OpenAI expands access, explains its verification and analytics rules, and reports more about how business features operate. Investors and customers will also be watching for company-issued financial disclosures or additional reporting that confirms the third-quarter figures and puts the reported losses into fuller context.
Key Questions
What did OpenAI launch on Nov. 10?
OpenAI launched a beta called Businesses in ChatGPT. It lets companies claim profiles, update information, add product feeds and view certain aggregated activity data. Eligible U.S. businesses can also offer separately labeled Business Agents.
Can businesses pay to appear in ChatGPT?
Businesses can sponsor a Business Agent and use it as a destination for ChatGPT Ads. OpenAI says sponsored placements will be labeled. The announcement does not establish that every profile or business mention is paid.
What is known about OpenAI’s acquisition of Odessia?
Odessia founder Francis Davidson announced that OpenAI acquired the AI travel agent startup and that he is joining OpenAI. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed his hire to TechCrunch, but the acquisition terms and price have not been disclosed.
Did OpenAI confirm its third-quarter financial results?
No. Media reports put third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion, with Bloomberg reporting nearly 50% growth from the prior quarter. Another report put operating losses at $10.9 billion. OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming those figures.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
