🔍 Read the full analysis: OpenAI Wants To Be The New Google: ChatGPT Business Profiles, Odessia And A Reported $10B Quarter on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
OpenAI launched a beta Business Hub in ChatGPT on Nov. 10, 2026, where companies can claim profiles, provide product information and view aggregated engagement insights. The company also acquired AI travel startup Odessia; separate reports put third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion, alongside reported operating losses of $10.9 billion.
OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT in beta on Nov. 10, giving companies a way to claim profiles, submit product information and see aggregated measures of how they appear in chatbot responses. The announcement came on the same day that AI travel startup Odessia’s founder said the company had been acquired, marking two developments in OpenAI’s effort to make ChatGPT a place where people discover businesses and services.
The beta includes a Business Hub where companies can claim and verify a profile, update details and add product feeds with pricing and availability. OpenAI says the Hub will show aggregated insights including business mentions in ChatGPT answers, profile views, website clicks and topics associated with discovery. Reuters, The Verge and TechCrunch reported the features based on OpenAI’s announcement.
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 conversation with the agent to ask about the company’s offerings, including questions comparing products. Businesses provide the agent’s instructions and information. OpenAI says these conversations are kept separate from the user’s main chat.
OpenAI says it does not share users’ conversations or Business Agent chats with businesses. Insights are shown only after activity passes unspecified thresholds. Businesses can sponsor their agents as destinations for ChatGPT Ads, with sponsored placements labeled. The company has not publicly released financial statements: The Information reported third-quarter revenue of about $10 billion, while Bloomberg reported nearly 50% growth from the previous quarter. The Wall Street Journal separately reported operating losses of $10.9 billion for the quarter, citing information reported by Reuters.
OpenAI wants to be the new Google ChatGPT moves into business discovery
OpenAI is giving companies tools to manage how they appear in ChatGPT and connect with potential customers. The beta’s reach and effect on recommendations are not yet established.
A new business presence
Companies can manage information that may help people discover their products and services in ChatGPT.
Claim a Business Hub profile
Businesses can verify a profile, update details and add product feeds with pricing and availability.
Measure discovery
Aggregated insights can include mentions, profile views, website clicks and discovery topics.
Answer questions in ChatGPT
Eligible U.S. businesses can offer a separately labeled agent to explain their offerings.
How customers may connect
The beta links business information, guided conversations and advertising.
ChatGPT answers may include business details and product information.
Users can open a separate conversation to ask about the company’s offerings.
Businesses may sponsor agents as ad destinations; OpenAI says placements will be labeled.
What remains unclear
The launch is an early step, and key details are still unavailable.
- How profiles are verified
- What activity thresholds unlock insights
- How widely the beta will expand
- Whether ChatGPT discovery leads to visits or sales
- How Odessia will be integrated
- Whether reported financial figures are accurate
Odessia joins the story
The acquisition was announced alongside the Business Hub launch.
| Known | Not disclosed |
|---|---|
| Founder Francis Davidson announced the acquisition and said he was joining OpenAI. | Acquisition terms, integration plans and Odessia’s future role. |
ChatGPT Becomes a Business Discovery Channel
The launch gives companies a direct way to manage some of the information ChatGPT may use when answering questions about products and services. It also offers businesses engagement measures from within ChatGPT, including mentions and clicks, rather than leaving them to infer whether the chatbot is sending customers their way.
That could matter for local services and online retailers as more people use conversational tools to research choices. Product feeds may help ChatGPT present specific prices and availability, while Business Agents create a route from a general answer to a company’s own guided conversation. These are features OpenAI says it is offering; their reach and effect on customer discovery have not yet been established.
The model also combines information management with a paid channel: businesses may sponsor agents and use them as destinations for ads. OpenAI says sponsored placements will be labeled, but the coexistence of business-supplied information and advertising makes clear labeling and separation of sponsored content relevant to how users judge recommendations.
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From Shopping Tests to Business Profiles
OpenAI’s announcement describes the beta as an early step toward bringing businesses further into ChatGPT, starting with accurate business information, insights and conversations. The profile approach recalls services such as Google Business Profile, where companies manage information customers may encounter during discovery. The comparison is about the role the tools could play; ChatGPT’s features and audience are not identical to Google’s.
TechCrunch reported that OpenAI previously pursued a shopping experience with direct checkout and commissions, then retired it in March after the effort did not take off. The new Business Hub instead centers on business information, product feeds, measurement and conversations with company agents. In August, OpenAI said ChatGPT Ads had reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate, according to the supplied reporting, adding an advertising element to the company’s commercial strategy.
Odessia founder Francis Davidson announced the acquisition and said he was joining OpenAI. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed his hiring to TechCrunch. The acquisition terms were not disclosed, and the available information does not specify how Odessia’s travel technology or team will be incorporated.
“Davidson announced that OpenAI had acquired Odessia and that he was joining OpenAI.”
— Francis Davidson, Odessia founder
Verification, Reach and Deal Terms
OpenAI has not explained the detailed verification process for Business Hub profiles or the activity thresholds required before insights appear. The company also has not provided results showing how many businesses are eligible, how widely the beta will be available, or whether the features will change ChatGPT recommendations or customer traffic.
Odessia’s acquisition price, deal structure and planned role within OpenAI remain undisclosed. The revenue and loss figures are media reports, not published financial statements; OpenAI has not issued public accounts confirming those amounts in the supplied material. It is also unclear how much of any reported revenue came from business tools, advertising or other products.
Watch for Beta Expansion and Results
Businesses will be able to use the beta through Business Hub, with existing OpenAI Enterprise customers and advertisers able to claim profiles through their OpenAI representative. Shopify merchants can connect stores through Business Hub or the Shopify admin, according to the supplied reporting. OpenAI has not announced a broader rollout date or a schedule for adding markets and business categories.
The next useful indicators will be whether more companies gain access, what profile verification and reporting thresholds require, and whether businesses can show that ChatGPT mentions lead to visits or sales. Further details about Odessia’s integration and OpenAI’s financial performance have not been announced in the source material.
Key Questions
What did OpenAI launch for businesses in ChatGPT?
OpenAI launched a beta Business Hub for claiming and updating profiles, adding product feeds and viewing aggregated insights. Eligible U.S. businesses can also offer separately labeled Business Agents.
Can businesses pay to appear in ChatGPT?
Businesses can sponsor a Business Agent as a destination for ChatGPT Ads. OpenAI says sponsored placements will be labeled. The announcement does not establish that profile claims or product-feed inclusion guarantee a recommendation.
What information can a business see about ChatGPT users?
OpenAI says the Hub provides aggregated measures such as mentions, profile views and website clicks, with insights shown only after activity passes certain thresholds. The company says it does not share users’ conversations or Business Agent chats with businesses.
What is known about OpenAI’s acquisition of Odessia?
Founder Francis Davidson announced the acquisition and said he was joining OpenAI; an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed his hiring to TechCrunch. The terms and integration plans were not disclosed.
Are the reported financial figures confirmed by OpenAI?
No. Media outlets reported third-quarter revenue of about $10 billion and operating losses of $10.9 billion, but OpenAI had not published financial statements confirming those figures in the supplied reporting.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
