OpenAI acquires AI travel startup Odessia

Davidson announced that OpenAI had acquired Odessia, and said he would join OpenAI to focus on the future of travel.[1] Odessia’s website says the service is no longer available after the acquisition.[2] Customers who need changes to existing bookings or access to travel plans are directed to contact support.[2] The available information does not describe a replacement service or explain how existing bookings will be handled beyond that support guidance.[2] For customers, the immediate practical step is to use the contact route Odessia provides for booking or plan questions.

Davidson said he founded Odessia less than a year before announcing the acquisition, aiming to build what he considered the market’s best AI travel agent.[1] TechCrunch reported that Odessia launched its AI travel agent about five months before the announcement and raised a $6 million pre-seed round led by Sequoia.[3] Davidson also said Odessia planned more than $60 million a year in travel over the previous summer for tens of thousands of early adopters.[1] Those figures are Davidson’s account of the startup’s activity; they do not establish how much travel was ultimately booked or revenue earned.

OpenAI confirmed Davidson’s hire and welcomed him, describing him as a founder who had built multiple travel businesses, TechCrunch reported.[3] OpenAI said travel is an area ChatGPT users frequently ask about and that it sees an opportunity to make these experiences more useful.[3] An OpenAI spokesperson said 1.2 billion people turn to ChatGPT each week for help with everyday tasks.[3] At the time of TechCrunch’s report, OpenAI had not announced new travel-specific products or plans.[3] TechCrunch also noted that OpenAI had mentioned travel as a potential use for ChatGPT agent when it launched in July 2025.[3]

TechCrunch reported that Davidson founded Sonder as a college student in 2014.[3] Sonder focused on short-term leases of upscale apartments in major cities around the world.[3] It went public through a SPAC but did not raise as much money as it needed, according to TechCrunch.[3] The company entered bankruptcy and wound down after a key partnership with Marriott fell through.[3] TechCrunch reported that a bankruptcy trustee sold Sonder’s name, trademarks and website domain to TravelAI in 2026.[3] The outlet also reported that Sonder had reached unicorn status and recorded $143 million in revenue before its downfall.[3]