🔍 Read the full analysis: Why OpenAI’s Latest Moves Invite Comparisons With Google on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
Get business pricing on monitors, keyboards and dev gear
- Business-only prices and quantity discounts
- Tax-exempt purchasing
- Multiple users, one account, clear invoices
TL;DR
OpenAI launched a beta on Nov. 10 that lets businesses manage profiles, provide product data and view aggregated measures of how they appear in ChatGPT. The move, alongside an announced acquisition of travel startup Odessia and reports of strong revenue growth, points toward a broader commercial role for ChatGPT—but the financial figures are not company-published, and the service’s reach and business impact remain unclear.
OpenAI on Nov. 10 launched Businesses in ChatGPT in beta, allowing some companies to claim profiles, supply product information and see aggregated measures of how they appear in chatbot answers. The launch invites comparisons with Google Business Profile and search advertising as OpenAI develops ChatGPT into a place for discovering and evaluating businesses, not just asking questions.
OpenAI’s beta has two components. Through Business Hub, companies can claim and verify a profile, update business details and add product feeds containing prices and availability. The Hub also shows aggregated measures such as mentions in ChatGPT responses, profile views, website clicks and topics that lead users to a business, according to OpenAI information reported by Reuters, The Verge and TechCrunch.
The second component, Business Agents, lets eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service companies offer a separate chatbot conversation about their products or services. Businesses provide the agent’s instructions and supporting information. OpenAI says these conversations are labeled and kept separate from a user’s main ChatGPT conversation. Companies may sponsor their agent as a destination for ChatGPT Ads.
OpenAI says it does not share users’ conversations or Business Agent chats with businesses. Business insights are aggregated and appear only after activity passes unspecified thresholds. The launch came alongside founder Francis Davidson’s announcement that OpenAI acquired his travel-agent startup, Odessia, and that he would join the company; the terms were not disclosed. Separately, The Information reported third-quarter revenue of about $10 billion, while Bloomberg reported nearly 50% growth from the prior quarter, citing a person familiar with the matter. OpenAI has not published financial statements.
OpenAI’s Commercial Push Invites Google Comparisons
New ChatGPT tools help businesses share information and track visibility. Their reach and impact on sales remain unclear.
Two ways to reach customers
The beta brings business information and product conversations into ChatGPT.
Manage a profile
Companies can update business details, add product feeds, and view aggregated mentions, views, and clicks.
Answer product questions
Eligible U.S. businesses can offer separate conversations about their products or services, with sponsored destinations labeled.
A useful comparison, with limits
Both platforms can influence how people discover and evaluate businesses.
- Established business listings tied to Search and Maps
- Helps people find and assess local businesses
- Beta profiles and product feeds inside ChatGPT
- Business information can appear in conversational discovery
Commercial ambitions are growing
Recent moves point toward more ways to connect ChatGPT users with businesses.
Profiles and product feeds provide details such as prices and availability.
Companies can offer a separate conversation and may sponsor their agent as a destination for ChatGPT Ads.
OpenAI acquired travel startup Odessia; deal terms and product plans were not disclosed.
What businesses and readers should watch
The beta’s measures do not yet show whether visibility leads to customer visits or sales.
- Business Agent access is limited to eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service companies.
- Activity thresholds for insights have not been specified.
- OpenAI says agent chats are separate from main chats and not shared with businesses.
- Reported financial figures are media reports, not published company financial statements.
ChatGPT Becomes a Business Discovery Channel
The new tools give businesses a way to supply information directly to ChatGPT and, in some cases, to pay for a user’s next step. That makes the comparison with Google useful: both systems can shape how people find businesses, assess products and decide where to go. But the products are not identical. Google Business Profile is an established listing product tied to Google Search and Maps; OpenAI’s beta is built around information and conversations within ChatGPT.
For businesses, the prospect is a new source of visibility—and a new set of questions about how that visibility is measured. Mention counts, views and clicks may help companies understand how ChatGPT presents them, but the available measures are aggregated, subject to activity thresholds and do not by themselves show whether a mention generated a sale. Product feeds also make accurate prices and availability more relevant to what users see. The launch does not establish that businesses can buy higher placement in ordinary ChatGPT answers; OpenAI says sponsored agent destinations are labeled.
For users, the change could bring product questions and company-provided information closer together in one conversation. It also makes the distinction between an independent answer and a business-sponsored interaction important. Labels and separation from the main chat are OpenAI’s stated safeguards, but their practical effect on user trust and decision-making has not yet been established.
Products Worth Considering
Logitech MX Keys S Combo Wireless Keyboard and Mouse, Graphite
Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen), Wireless Over-Ear Noise-Cancelling Headphones, Black
EcoFlow Delta 3 Max Portable Power Station with 220W Solar Panel, 2048Wh
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Chatbot to Commercial Platform
The launch follows OpenAI’s earlier effort to make ChatGPT a shopping destination. TechCrunch reported that the company previously tested direct checkout and a commission model, then retired that effort in March after it did not gain traction. The new approach centers on business information, product feeds and sponsored agent conversations, rather than the earlier checkout model.
OpenAI has also been building an advertising business. The company said in August that ChatGPT Ads had reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate. That is a company-reported annualized rate, not a statement of realized revenue for a particular quarter. The reported third-quarter figure of about $10 billion comes from media reports, not financial statements released by OpenAI. The Wall Street Journal, as reported by Reuters, also reported that operating losses widened to $10.9 billion in the quarter, underscoring that revenue growth does not establish profitability.
The Odessia acquisition adds a travel-related product capability to the same broader direction, but the public details are limited. Davidson announced the acquisition and his move to OpenAI; an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed his hiring to TechCrunch. No purchase price or detailed product plans were reported in the supplied material.
“Davidson announced that OpenAI had acquired his AI travel-agent startup and that he was joining OpenAI.”
— Francis Davidson, Odessia founder
Reach, Verification and Returns Remain Unknown
The beta’s availability is limited: Business Agents are for eligible e-commerce and online service businesses in the United States. OpenAI has not specified all eligibility rules, how every business can verify its profile, or when the tools might expand to other markets or types of company. The company also has not explained the activity thresholds used before insights are shown.
It is not yet clear how often ChatGPT will use claimed profiles or product feeds, how businesses will be represented when information is incomplete, or whether the metrics will help predict customer visits and sales. OpenAI’s privacy and labeling statements describe its intended handling of agent chats and sponsored placements; the available reporting does not independently establish how users will experience those protections at scale.
The financial picture is also incomplete. The revenue and loss figures were reported by news organizations citing sources, rather than published as audited company results. OpenAI has not disclosed the Odessia deal’s terms or explained how the startup’s technology will be used.
Watch the Beta and Ad Disclosures
The next indicators will be whether OpenAI expands access beyond eligible U.S. businesses, publishes clearer verification and insight rules, and adds more detail about how Business Agents and sponsored placements appear to users. Businesses considering the beta will need to check what information they can manage and what the aggregated metrics actually measure before treating them as evidence of sales or search performance.
Further company disclosures may also clarify the role of Odessia and OpenAI’s financial position. Until OpenAI publishes fuller results or additional product details, the reported revenue, losses and likely commercial effects should be treated as reported figures and open questions—not proof that ChatGPT has already become a direct equivalent to Google’s business and search products.
Key Questions
What did OpenAI launch?
OpenAI launched a beta called Businesses in ChatGPT. It includes Business Hub profiles for managing company information and product feeds, plus Business Agents that eligible companies can use to answer questions about their offerings.
Why are the tools being compared with Google?
Both services can help people discover and evaluate businesses. OpenAI’s profiles and visibility measures resemble some functions of Google Business Profile, although the beta operates inside ChatGPT and is not the same product as Google Search or Maps.
Can businesses pay to appear in ChatGPT answers?
OpenAI says a business can sponsor its Business Agent as a destination for ChatGPT Ads, and that sponsored placements are labeled. The supplied information does not establish that businesses can pay to rank higher in ordinary ChatGPT answers.
Did OpenAI report $10 billion in third-quarter revenue?
Media outlets reported third-quarter revenue of about $10 billion, with Bloomberg reporting nearly 50% growth from the prior quarter based on a person familiar with the matter. OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming those figures; a separate report put operating losses at $10.9 billion for the quarter.
What is known about the Odessia acquisition?
Founder Francis Davidson announced that OpenAI acquired the AI travel-agent startup and that he would join OpenAI. The purchase terms and the company’s plans for Odessia have not been disclosed in the supplied reporting.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
