🔍 Read the full analysis: A Reported $10B Quarter Gives Context To OpenAI’s Expanding Plans on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
OpenAI launched Business Hub profiles and Business Agents in ChatGPT on Nov. 10, while reports put its third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion. The revenue figure has not been confirmed in published financial statements, and a separate report said operating losses widened to $10.9 billion. OpenAI also acquired AI travel startup Odessia; financial terms were not disclosed.
OpenAI launched business profiles and AI agents in ChatGPT on Nov. 10, the same day its acquisition of travel startup Odessia became public, while media reports put the company’s third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion. The product launch is confirmed through OpenAI’s announcement, but the revenue figure is reported rather than disclosed in financial statements; a separate report said operating losses widened during the quarter.
OpenAI’s beta, called Businesses in ChatGPT, gives companies a Business Hub where they can claim and verify a profile, update business information, and add product feeds containing prices and availability. OpenAI says the hub will show aggregated measures of how businesses appear in ChatGPT, including mentions, profile views and website clicks, as well as topics associated with discovery. The company has not publicly detailed all of its verification procedures.
The second component lets eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses offer a Business Agent inside ChatGPT. Companies supply its instructions and information; users can open a separate, labeled chat to ask questions about products or services. OpenAI says these agent chats are kept separate from users’ main conversations and that it does not share users’ conversations or agent chats with businesses. Businesses may sponsor their agents as destinations for ChatGPT ads, with sponsored placements labeled.
The financial figures come from media reporting, not a public earnings release. The Information reported third-quarter revenue of about $10 billion; Bloomberg, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported growth of nearly 50% from the previous quarter. The Wall Street Journal separately reported that operating losses reached $10.9 billion in the same quarter, in reporting cited by Reuters. OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming those figures. The Odessia acquisition was announced by founder Francis Davidson, who said he was joining OpenAI; an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed his hire to TechCrunch. The purchase price was not disclosed.
OpenAI expands its business plans as revenue reports emerge
OpenAI launched business profiles and agents in ChatGPT as media reports put third-quarter revenue at about $10 billion. The tools are in beta, and the financial figures have not been confirmed in published statements.
A new business presence in ChatGPT
Businesses in ChatGPT combines profile management with customer conversations.
Manage business details
Companies can claim profiles, update information and add product feeds with prices and availability.
Answer customer questions
Eligible U.S. businesses can offer a separate, labeled chat about their products or services.
Track visibility
Aggregated measures include mentions, profile views and website clicks, subject to activity thresholds.
From discovery to a business conversation
The beta links how businesses appear in ChatGPT with ways for users to learn more.
Eligible companies can manage their business information in Business Hub.
Product feeds can include prices and availability.
Users can open a separate chat to ask about a business’s offerings.
Access and advertising
Availability varies by business type and route into the beta.
- Existing enterprise customers and advertisers can claim profiles through an OpenAI representative.
- Shopify merchants can connect stores through Business Hub or Shopify tools.
- Business Agents are for eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses.
- Businesses may sponsor their agents as destinations for ChatGPT ads.
- OpenAI says sponsored placements will be labeled.
- OpenAI says it does not share users’ conversations or agent chats with businesses.
A separate acquisition
The same day the business tools were announced, Odessia’s acquisition became public.
What remains unclear
More detail will matter as businesses and users assess the new tools.
- OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming the reported revenue or losses.
- Verification procedures and Business Hub insight calculations are not fully detailed publicly.
- The broader rollout schedule and Odessia’s role in OpenAI products have not been disclosed.
ChatGPT Becomes a Business Discovery Channel
The launch gives companies a way to manage the information ChatGPT uses when responding to questions about businesses and products. For retailers and service providers, accurate profiles and product feeds could affect how customers encounter their offerings in conversational searches. Business Hub’s mention, view and click measures also offer a new, platform-specific view of visibility, although the data is aggregated and subject to activity thresholds.
The tools also connect discovery with advertising. A business can sponsor its agent as a destination for ChatGPT Ads, creating a paid route from an answer to a company’s own product conversation. That makes clear labeling and separation between advertising and ordinary recommendations important to users. OpenAI says sponsored placements will be labeled, but the launch does not by itself explain how paid destinations will appear alongside other recommendations.
The reported revenue figure signals the scale of OpenAI’s business, but it must be read alongside the reported loss figure and the limits of what the company has disclosed. Revenue is not profit, and the reported $10 billion quarter does not establish that the company’s new commerce and advertising plans are profitable. The figures provide financial context for the expansion, not proof of its eventual returns.
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From Business Listings to AI Agents
OpenAI described the beta as an early step toward helping companies manage their information, understand how they appear, and turn interest into action. The structure has some similarities to established business listings: companies can claim a presence, maintain details and monitor engagement. But the setting is different. ChatGPT responses and product questions, rather than a conventional search-results page, are the central point of discovery.
Access at launch is limited in different ways. Existing OpenAI enterprise customers and advertisers can claim profiles through their OpenAI representative, while Shopify merchants can connect stores through Business Hub or Shopify’s administration tools. Business Agents are limited to eligible e-commerce and online service businesses in the United States. OpenAI says it uses different verification methods for different business types and markets.
OpenAI has previously pursued shopping features that included direct checkout and commissions. TechCrunch reported that this effort did not gain traction and was retired in March. The new beta instead focuses on business information, product feeds, insights and agent conversations, while allowing sponsored agent destinations. OpenAI also said in August that ChatGPT Ads had reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate; that company-reported figure is a run rate, not a statement of quarterly advertising revenue.
“Davidson announced that OpenAI had acquired Odessia and that he was joining the company.”
— Francis Davidson, Odessia founder
Financial Figures and Rollout Details
OpenAI has not released financial statements confirming the reported third-quarter revenue, quarter-over-quarter growth or operating losses. The reports cite unnamed sources, and the precise definitions and accounting details behind the figures have not been made public. The reported $10 billion in revenue and $10.9 billion in operating losses should therefore be treated as reported figures, not audited results confirmed by the company.
Other details of the business beta are also pending. OpenAI has not provided a complete public explanation of verification, how Business Hub insights are calculated, or the thresholds required before activity appears. The company says it does not share conversations with businesses, but further information about the handling of data and the presentation of sponsored agents may emerge as the service develops. Odessia’s acquisition terms remain undisclosed, and the available information does not establish how its travel service will be incorporated into OpenAI’s products.
Watch for Beta Access and Disclosure
OpenAI’s next steps are likely to become clearer as it expands access to Business Hub and Business Agents and publishes more details about eligibility, verification and reporting. Businesses considering the tools will need to check whether they qualify and how profile claims and product-feed connections work in their markets. The launch information does not specify a broader rollout schedule.
For users and advertisers, the practical test will be how labeled agents and sponsored placements appear in ChatGPT responses, and whether product and business information stays accurate. Further company disclosures or reporting may clarify the quarter’s revenue and losses. Until then, the $10 billion figure remains media-reported, while the business tools are in beta and the financial impact of OpenAI’s expanding commerce plans is unsettled.
Key Questions
Did OpenAI confirm $10 billion in third-quarter revenue?
No. The Information reported revenue of about $10 billion, and Bloomberg reported nearly 50% growth from the prior quarter, citing a person familiar with the matter. OpenAI has not published financial statements confirming the figures.
What are Businesses in ChatGPT?
It is a beta with a Business Hub for claiming and updating company profiles, adding product feeds and viewing aggregated engagement insights, plus Business Agents that eligible companies can offer in separate, labeled chats.
Can businesses pay to promote a Business Agent?
Yes. OpenAI says a business can sponsor its agent as a destination for ChatGPT Ads and that sponsored placements will be labeled.
What is known about OpenAI’s acquisition of Odessia?
Founder Francis Davidson announced that OpenAI acquired the AI travel agent startup and that he was joining OpenAI. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed his hire to TechCrunch, but the acquisition price and other terms were not disclosed.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
