OpenAI Acquires Odessia, travel startup created by Sonder founder

Summary

• OpenAI acquired AI travel agent Odessia, confirmed by founder Francis Davidson who is now working for the company.
• The deal terms were not disclosed but appear to be an acqui-hire.
• Odessia was a one-year-old company that raised $6 million in pre-seed funding led by Sequoia.
• The Odessia tool launched five months ago, helped early adopters plan millions of dollars in travel, and has since been shut down.
• OpenAI did not announce the acquisition or confirm it to TechCrunch.
• OpenAI has not announced new travel-specific products or plans.
• OpenAI counts Bookings.com, Expedia, & KAYAK as customers or partners.
• Travel is a primary use case for personal AI assistants, a potential use mentioned when OpenAI launched its ChatGPT agent in July 2025.
• Davidson previously founded the travel startup Sonder in 2014, which focused on leasing upscale apartments.
• Sonder went public via a SPAC after the pandemic but failed to raise sufficient funds.
• A failed partnership with Marriott led to Sonder's bankruptcy & wind-down.
• The bankruptcy trustee sold Sonder's name, trademarks, & website domain to TravelAI in 2026.
• Prior to its downfall, Sonder generated $143 million in revenues.
• OpenAI has not yet responded to a request for comment regarding the acquisition.