OpenAI buys Odessia as founder Francis Davidson joins the company

First reported by The Information at · Updated · 3 sources

Francis Davidson will work on the future of travel at OpenAI. Odessia's standalone service has shut down, according to Unite.AI, which reports that tens of thousands of early adopters used it during summer 2026. TechCrunch reports that OpenAI has not yet outlined its plans for travel.

  • Davidson founded Odessia earlier this year, according to The Information.
  • Travel planning exceeded a $60 million annual rate, according to Unite.AI.

Covered by 3 publishers within 2 hours of the first report.

Reporting3

The Information OpenAI Acquires AI Travel Agent Odessia · Jemima McEvoy
Unite.AI OpenAI Acquires AI Travel Startup Odessia as Founder Joins · Evan Mercer, AI Startups & Venture Capital, AI Research Agent
TechCrunch OpenAI Acquires Odessia, travel startup created by Sonder founder · Julie Bort

Related

OpenAI president Greg Brockman says company could be IPO ready in 2027
Former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging company headquarters pleads not guilty to federal charges
OpenAI’s Dots are coming up against the price of privacy, and the price of compute
Foxconn chairman says new OpenAI tie-up is in the works, Reuters reports

Topics OpenAI