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TL;DR
OpenAI launched a beta on Nov. 10 that lets businesses claim profiles in ChatGPT, provide product data and view aggregated engagement insights. Separately, media reports put the company’s third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion, while a Wall Street Journal report said operating losses reached $10.9 billion. OpenAI has not published financial statements, and the terms of its reported acquisition of travel startup Odessia were not disclosed.
OpenAI began testing business profiles and AI agents in ChatGPT on Nov. 10, giving companies tools to manage information and products shown in the chatbot, as separate media reports put the company’s third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion. The launch comes as OpenAI also disclosed it acquired AI travel startup Odessia; the financial figures remain reported rather than company-published results.
OpenAI’s beta, called Businesses in ChatGPT, lets companies claim and verify a profile through a Business Hub, update business details and provide product feeds with pricing and availability. According to OpenAI, as reported by Reuters, The Verge and TechCrunch, businesses can also view aggregated metrics including mentions in ChatGPT responses, profile views, website clicks and topics associated with discovery.
A second feature lets eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses offer a Business Agent inside ChatGPT. Users can open a separate, labeled conversation with the agent to ask about a company’s products or services. Businesses provide the agent’s instructions and information. OpenAI says those conversations are kept separate from users’ main chats and that it does not share users’ conversations or agent chats with businesses. Insights are shown only after activity reaches unspecified thresholds.
Companies may sponsor their Business Agent and use it as a destination for ChatGPT Ads, with sponsored placements labeled, according to the source reporting. Separately, founder Francis Davidson announced that OpenAI acquired Odessia and that he is joining the company. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed Davidson’s hire to TechCrunch; the acquisition’s financial terms were not disclosed.
The Information first reported third-quarter revenue of about $10 billion. Bloomberg, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported growth of nearly 50% over the prior quarter. The Wall Street Journal, as reported by Reuters, put operating losses at $10.9 billion in the same quarter. OpenAI has not published financial statements; CFO Sarah Friar discussed the quarter in an interview with Yahoo Finance, but the source material does not provide audited results.
ChatGPT’s business push meets reported growth costs
OpenAI launched business profiles and agents in ChatGPT as media reports put quarterly revenue near $10 billion and operating losses at $10.9 billion.
A new channel for businesses
The beta gives companies tools to manage information shown in ChatGPT and engage customers.
Claim a profile
Companies can verify profiles, update details and provide product feeds with prices and availability.
Answer customer questions
Eligible U.S. businesses can offer a separate agent conversation about their products or services.
Measure discovery
Aggregated insights include mentions, profile views, website clicks and discovery topics, subject to activity thresholds.
From discovery to paid placement
Businesses may sponsor their agents as destinations for ChatGPT Ads.
Businesses manage profile details and product data.
Users can open a separate, labeled conversation with an eligible business agent.
Sponsored placements are labeled; effects on ordinary recommendations remain unclear.
What is confirmed—and what is reported
The product launch and acquisition news sit alongside financial figures that OpenAI has not published in financial statements.
- Businesses in ChatGPT launched in beta on Nov. 10.
- OpenAI confirmed Odessia founder Francis Davidson is joining.
- OpenAI says agent chats stay separate from users’ main chats.
- Quarterly revenue and operating loss remain media-reported.
- Odessia acquisition terms were not disclosed.
- Verification, insight thresholds and wider rollout details remain open.
ChatGPT Becomes a Business Channel
The beta gives companies a direct way to manage some of the information ChatGPT may use when answering questions about them. That matters for businesses whose customers increasingly use conversational tools to compare products, find services or seek recommendations. The Hub’s mentions, views and clicks could also give companies a new measure of how they appear in ChatGPT, although the reporting says insights are aggregated and subject to activity thresholds.
The product feeds and agent features also connect discovery to a possible commercial relationship. A business can supply prices and availability, answer questions through its agent and sponsor that agent as an advertising destination. This creates a paid layer alongside the profile tools. The launch does not establish how ChatGPT selects businesses for ordinary answers, whether profiles improve visibility, or how much traffic or sales the features will generate.
The reported revenue figure offers a measure of OpenAI’s scale, but the reported $10.9 billion operating loss points to the cost of growth. Because the figures have not been released in company financial statements, they should be treated as media reports, not independently verified accounts. Together, the developments show OpenAI building commercial tools while the economics of that expansion remain under scrutiny.
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From ChatGPT Shopping to Profiles
OpenAI’s earlier attempt to make ChatGPT a shopping destination included direct checkout and a commission model. TechCrunch reported that the effort did not gain traction and was retired in March. The new beta takes a different approach: businesses supply information and can offer a separate agent, while users can continue to ask questions in ChatGPT.
The comparison with Google Business Profile is useful but limited. Both services let businesses manage information that may help customers find them, but OpenAI’s launch is a beta within a conversational assistant, not evidence that ChatGPT has replicated Google’s search or local-business systems. OpenAI’s ad business also predates this launch: the company said in August that ChatGPT Ads had reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate. That is a company-stated run rate, not the same measure as quarterly revenue.
Verification, Revenue and Reach
Several details remain open. OpenAI has not explained the full verification process, the activity thresholds required before businesses see insights, or how profiles and product feeds affect the content of ChatGPT answers. The beta’s availability is limited: Business Agents are for eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses, and the source material does not specify a broader rollout schedule.
The financial figures are also not confirmed in published company accounts. The reported revenue and operating loss come from media outlets citing sources or people familiar with the matter; OpenAI has not released financial statements in the material available here. The acquisition price and other terms for Odessia remain undisclosed. It is also not yet clear how users will distinguish ordinary recommendations from results shaped by business-provided information beyond the labeling and separation OpenAI describes.
Beta Rollout and Financial Disclosure
OpenAI’s next visible step is to operate and potentially expand the Business Hub beta and Business Agents, while businesses assess whether the tools produce useful customer engagement. The company has not announced a timetable for wider eligibility or provided detailed rules for verification, ranking, or insight thresholds in the source material.
Further reporting or company disclosure may clarify the third-quarter figures, the Odessia deal and how sponsored agents work in practice. Until then, the revenue and loss numbers should retain their attribution, and the business features should be understood as a limited beta rather than a settled change to how ChatGPT recommends companies.
Key Questions
What did OpenAI launch on Nov. 10?
OpenAI launched a beta called Businesses in ChatGPT. It includes a Business Hub for claiming profiles, updating information and supplying product feeds, plus Business Agents for eligible U.S. businesses.
Has OpenAI confirmed $10 billion in third-quarter revenue?
The figure was reported by The Information, with Bloomberg separately reporting nearly 50% growth over the prior quarter. OpenAI has not published financial statements in the source material, so the number remains media-reported.
What is known about OpenAI’s acquisition of Odessia?
Odessia founder Francis Davidson announced the acquisition and said he is joining OpenAI. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed his hire to TechCrunch. The deal terms were not disclosed.
Can businesses pay to appear in ChatGPT?
OpenAI says businesses can sponsor their Business Agent and use it as a destination for ChatGPT Ads, with sponsored placements labeled. The launch does not explain whether or how sponsorship affects ordinary ChatGPT recommendations.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
