🔍 Read the full analysis: OpenAI’s Big Quarter And New AI Products Point To Wider Ambitions on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
OpenAI launched a beta on Nov. 10 that lets businesses manage profiles, share product feeds and offer labeled agents in ChatGPT. The launch coincided with reports of about $10 billion in third-quarter revenue and $10.9 billion in operating losses, while OpenAI also acquired travel startup Odessia. The figures and acquisition terms have not been fully disclosed by OpenAI.
OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT in beta on Nov. 10, giving companies tools to manage profiles, provide product information and offer labeled AI agents inside the chatbot. The move came as media reports put the company’s third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion, while also reporting $10.9 billion in operating losses, and Odessia founder Francis Davidson announced that OpenAI had acquired his AI travel startup. Together, the developments point to a broader effort to make ChatGPT a place where people discover businesses and products, though key financial and acquisition details remain undisclosed by the company.
OpenAI’s new Business Hub lets companies claim and verify a profile, update business details and add product feeds with prices and availability. According to OpenAI’s statements reported by Reuters, The Verge and TechCrunch, the hub also gives businesses aggregated data on mentions, profile views, website clicks and discovery topics. OpenAI has not publicly detailed every verification step.
A second feature, Business Agents, lets eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses offer a separate chatbot conversation about their products or services. Companies supply the agent’s instructions and information; users can open it from a ChatGPT answer and ask questions, including about product comparisons. OpenAI says these interactions are labeled and kept separate from a user’s main conversation. Businesses may sponsor an agent and use it as a destination for ChatGPT Ads, whose placements are labeled as sponsored.
The financial picture comes from media reports, not published OpenAI financial statements. The Information reported third-quarter revenue of about $10 billion; Bloomberg reported growth of nearly 50% from the previous quarter, citing a person familiar with the matter. The Wall Street Journal, as reported by Reuters, put operating losses at $10.9 billion for the same quarter. OpenAI has not released financial statements confirming those figures. Separately, Davidson announced the Odessia acquisition and said he was joining OpenAI. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed his hire to TechCrunch, but the terms were not disclosed.
OpenAI’s big quarter and wider ambitions
New business profiles and labeled agents put company discovery inside ChatGPT as reports point to major revenue and operating losses.
A business channel in ChatGPT
The beta gives eligible businesses new ways to present their offerings and track discovery.
Manage business details
Businesses can claim profiles, update information, and add product prices and availability.
See aggregated activity
The hub reports mentions, profile views, website clicks, and discovery topics.
Offer branded conversations
Eligible U.S. businesses can provide labeled agents for questions about products or services.
From listings to conversations
The new approach centers on business information and agent conversations, following an earlier shopping effort.
- Direct checkout and a commission model
- Reportedly retired in March after limited traction
- Business profiles and product feeds
- Sponsored agents can link to labeled ChatGPT Ads
What remains unclear
The launch and financial reports leave key business questions open.
OpenAI has not confirmed the reported figures in published financial statements or disclosed a revenue breakdown.
Eligibility is limited; the company has not given a timetable for broader access.
The acquisition terms and the startup’s intended role at OpenAI have not been disclosed.
ChatGPT Becomes a Business Channel
The new tools give businesses a way to influence the information ChatGPT uses about their offerings and to see some aggregated evidence of how often they appear in answers. For retailers and service providers, accurate prices, availability and company details may matter more as customers use conversational systems to research choices. The hub’s metrics also offer a channel-specific view of discovery, although OpenAI has not described the full methodology or how much detail businesses will receive.
The launch also connects business discovery to paid placements and conversational selling. A sponsored agent can take a user from a ChatGPT answer into a branded discussion, creating a commercial pathway inside the product. That raises practical questions about how sponsored destinations are presented alongside ordinary answers and how users distinguish them. OpenAI says placements are labeled and business-agent chats are separate; the effect on user behavior and business results has not yet been established.
Revenue reports give the product push a financial dimension, but they do not show whether this specific launch will generate significant income. The reported $10 billion in quarterly revenue sits alongside reported operating losses of $10.9 billion. The figures suggest scale as well as substantial costs, but without company-published statements or a breakdown of revenue and expenses, they do not establish the profitability of OpenAI’s broader commercial strategy.
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From Shopping Tests to Business Profiles
OpenAI describes the beta as an early effort to bring businesses further into ChatGPT, beginning with business information, insights and conversations that can help users make decisions. The profile model has a familiar parallel in business listings on search platforms: companies provide and maintain information that can appear when people look for a service or product. In ChatGPT, the company says businesses will be able to review aggregated measures of how they show up, rather than receive individual users’ conversations.
The launch follows an earlier attempt to turn ChatGPT into a shopping destination with direct checkout and a commission model. TechCrunch reported that the effort did not gain traction and was retired in March. The new approach centers on profiles, product feeds and business-run agents, rather than making checkout the main feature. OpenAI also said in August that ChatGPT Ads had reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate, a company-reported measure that provides background for the new sponsored-agent option.
The acquisition of Odessia, a small AI travel agent startup, adds another product area to the developments reported this week. Davidson said he was joining OpenAI after the acquisition. Public information provided in the source material does not spell out how Odessia’s technology or team will fit into ChatGPT or OpenAI’s other products.
“Davidson announced that OpenAI had acquired his AI travel agent startup and that he was joining the company.”
— Francis Davidson, Odessia founder
Financial and Product Details Remain Open
OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming the reported quarterly revenue and operating-loss figures. The reports also do not provide enough information here to assess how revenue was distributed across subscriptions, business services, advertising or other products. The reported near-50% quarter-over-quarter growth was attributed by Bloomberg to a person familiar with the matter; it is not a company-published financial disclosure.
The company has not explained exactly how Business Hub verification works, what activity thresholds apply before insights appear, or how those thresholds vary. It says user conversations and Business Agent chats are not shared with businesses, but the materials described do not detail the technical or policy arrangements behind that statement. The beta’s business eligibility is limited to certain U.S. e-commerce and online service companies, and the timing or scope of any wider rollout is unknown.
Odessia’s acquisition price, staffing plans and intended role at OpenAI have not been disclosed. It is also too early to know whether the new profiles and agents will change how users find businesses, produce measurable sales for participating companies or become a meaningful source of revenue for OpenAI.
Beta Rollout and Business Results
Businesses interested in the beta will need to use Business Hub or, where applicable, an OpenAI representative or Shopify connection to claim their profile. OpenAI has not provided a public timetable for expanding eligibility beyond the groups and markets described at launch. As the beta develops, the practical tests will include how reliably companies can update information and whether the aggregated insights are useful for tracking discovery.
Users will encounter Business Agents only when an eligible business appears in a ChatGPT answer and offers an agent. The next visible developments are likely to include broader availability details and more information about how sponsored agents and ads appear in conversations. OpenAI has not announced a date for those changes.
Further reporting or company disclosures may clarify the quarter’s financial results and the Odessia deal. Until then, the revenue and loss figures should be treated as reported estimates, while the acquisition’s terms and integration plans remain unknown.
Key Questions
What did OpenAI launch on Nov. 10?
OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT in beta. It includes a Business Hub for claiming profiles, updating information, adding product feeds and viewing aggregated insights, plus Business Agents for eligible businesses.
Can businesses use ChatGPT agents to sell products?
Eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses can offer a labeled, separate agent conversation about their products or services. Businesses can also sponsor an agent and use it as a destination for ChatGPT Ads, according to OpenAI’s launch information.
Did OpenAI confirm it made $10 billion in third-quarter revenue?
The Information reported revenue of about $10 billion, and Bloomberg reported near-50% growth from the previous quarter, citing a person familiar with the matter. OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming those figures.
What is known about OpenAI’s Odessia acquisition?
Odessia founder Francis Davidson announced that OpenAI acquired the AI travel startup and that he was joining OpenAI. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed his hire to TechCrunch. The acquisition terms and plans for the startup have not been disclosed.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
