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TL;DR
OpenAI launched a beta Business Hub in ChatGPT on Nov. 10, allowing companies to claim profiles, provide product information and view aggregated engagement insights. Founder Francis Davidson said OpenAI acquired his travel startup Odessia, while media reports put OpenAI’s third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion; the company has not published financial statements, and its reported operating losses also widened.
OpenAI launched Businesses in ChatGPT in beta on Nov. 10, giving companies tools to claim profiles, provide product information and track aggregated mentions, views and website clicks. The move puts business listings and product discovery inside the chatbot as the company was also linked to the acquisition of travel startup Odessia and reported third-quarter revenue of about $10 billion.
The new Business Hub lets companies claim and verify a profile, update business details and submit product feeds containing prices and availability, according to OpenAI’s announcement as described by Reuters, The Verge and TechCrunch. The Hub also provides aggregated information on how often a business appears in ChatGPT responses, profile views, website clicks and topics that lead users to it. OpenAI has not detailed the verification process.
A second feature, Business Agents, lets eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses offer a separate AI conversation about their products. Companies supply the agent’s instructions and information; users can open it from a ChatGPT response to ask about offerings or compare products. OpenAI says those conversations are labeled and kept separate from a user’s main chat. Businesses may sponsor their agents as destinations for ChatGPT ads, with paid placements labeled.
Odessia founder Francis Davidson announced that OpenAI acquired his AI travel-agent startup and that he would join the company. The acquisition terms were not disclosed. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed Davidson’s hiring to TechCrunch. Separately, The Information reported that OpenAI generated about $10 billion in third-quarter revenue; Bloomberg reported nearly 50% growth from the prior quarter, citing a person familiar with the matter. OpenAI has not released financial statements.
OpenAI’s Google Challenge Business profiles and big revenue
OpenAI is building business discovery and product conversations into ChatGPT. The launch comes alongside reports of strong revenue, but the company has not published financial statements.
A new business channel
The Business Hub beta gives companies tools to manage how they appear in ChatGPT.
Claim and update
Companies can claim profiles, add business details, and submit product prices and availability.
See engagement
Aggregated metrics cover mentions, profile views, website clicks, and topics that lead users to a business.
Answer product questions
Eligible U.S. businesses can offer separate AI conversations about their products and services.
How the model works
The new approach combines business-provided information with agent conversations and paid placements.
Businesses maintain a profile and may connect a product feed.
Users can open a Business Agent from a ChatGPT response to ask about or compare offerings.
Businesses may sponsor agents as destinations for ChatGPT Ads; paid placements are labeled.
What is known—and open
The commercial opportunity is developing, while access and results remain uncertain.
- Business Hub beta for claiming profiles and viewing aggregated insights.
- Shopify merchants can connect through Business Hub or Shopify’s admin tools.
- Odessia founder Francis Davidson said OpenAI acquired his startup.
- Detailed profile verification and Business Agent access requirements.
- How profiles and feeds affect ChatGPT answers or drive sales.
- Acquisition terms and a broader rollout timetable.
ChatGPT Becomes a Business Channel
The launch gives businesses a new way to influence how their products and services are represented when people ask ChatGPT for recommendations. A current profile and structured product feed could help the system present accurate information, while the new insights offer companies a view of how users encounter them through the chatbot. These are ChatGPT-specific metrics, not a full account of referral traffic or sales.
The features also establish a commercial path inside those recommendations: businesses can sponsor agents and use them as destinations for ChatGPT Ads. That makes the distinction between organic information and paid placement important for users. OpenAI says sponsored placements are labeled, and that it does not share users’ conversations or Business Agent chats with businesses. It says insights are shown only after activity reaches certain thresholds.
The revenue reports add financial context but do not establish profitability. The Wall Street Journal, as reported by Reuters, said operating losses widened to $10.9 billion in the same quarter. For businesses weighing whether to invest in ChatGPT visibility, the scale of reported revenue is relevant, but the available reports do not show what profile or agent participation delivers in sales.
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From Business Listings to AI Agents
OpenAI described the beta as an early step toward bringing businesses more deeply into ChatGPT, beginning with accurate business information, insights and conversations intended to help people make decisions. Companies can claim profiles through Business Hub; existing OpenAI Enterprise customers and advertisers can work through their OpenAI representative, while Shopify merchants can connect through Business Hub or Shopify’s admin tools.
The launch 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 centers on business-provided information, discovery metrics and conversations with company agents, rather than relying on the previous checkout model.
OpenAI already has an advertising business. In August, it said ChatGPT Ads had reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate. That company-reported figure is distinct from the third-quarter revenue figure attributed to media reports. Taken together, the developments point to efforts to build commercial services around ChatGPT, but they do not by themselves show how much of the reported revenue came from advertising or business profiles.
Verification, Reach and Costs Remain Open
OpenAI has not explained the detailed requirements for claiming and verifying profiles, how businesses will be selected for access to Business Agents, or whether the beta will expand beyond eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service companies. The company has also not provided a public account of how profile information or product feeds affect ChatGPT answers.
The reported financial figures are not audited disclosures from OpenAI. The Information’s estimate of about $10 billion in third-quarter revenue, Bloomberg’s report of nearly 50% quarter-over-quarter growth and the reported $10.9 billion in operating losses come from media reporting and cited sources. OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming those numbers. Terms of the Odessia acquisition also remain undisclosed.
It is not yet clear how much traffic or business the new tools will generate, how sponsored agents will appear in practice, or how users will distinguish paid recommendations from other answers beyond the stated labels. OpenAI says it does not share user conversations with businesses, but has not provided further detail here about the thresholds for aggregated insights.
Beta Rollout and Business Adoption
Companies that meet the current eligibility rules can begin using the Business Hub beta to claim profiles and, where available, connect product feeds or launch Business Agents. The next signs to watch are changes to access, verification requirements and supported markets, as well as further details from OpenAI about how businesses can use the tools.
OpenAI has not announced a timetable for a broader rollout or provided a date for additional financial disclosures. Businesses and users will have to wait for more information to judge how the profiles affect recommendations, whether agent conversations lead to purchases and how advertising is presented. The reported revenue and loss figures may also be clarified if the company releases fuller financial information.
Key Questions
What did OpenAI launch in ChatGPT?
OpenAI launched a beta Business Hub where companies can claim profiles, update information, submit product feeds and view aggregated engagement insights. It also introduced Business Agents for eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses.
Can businesses pay to appear in ChatGPT?
OpenAI says businesses can sponsor their Business Agent as a destination for ChatGPT Ads. The company says sponsored placements are labeled; it has not provided further detail here on how these placements will be ranked or displayed.
Did OpenAI confirm third-quarter revenue of $10 billion?
No. The Information reported revenue of about $10 billion, and Bloomberg reported nearly 50% growth over the prior quarter, citing a person familiar with the matter. OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming the figures.
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 would join OpenAI. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed his hiring to TechCrunch, but the acquisition terms have not been disclosed.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
