OpenAI has hired Francis Davidson, founder of the AI travel startup Odessia, in a move that could strengthen the ChatGPT maker's ambitions in AI-assisted travel planning.
Davidson announced the move in a recent post on X, saying he would help OpenAI shape the future of travel. Financial terms were not disclosed. The announcement presents the move as a hire rather than a purchase of the company.
Odessia was founded about a year ago and raised $6 million in pre-seed funding led by Sequoia. About five months ago it launched an AI travel agent, which Davidson said helped early users plan millions of dollars' worth of travel. The service has since been shut down.
OpenAI has not announced any travel-specific products or plans. Booking.com, Expedia and KAYAK are already among its customers or partners. The company had earlier named travel planning as a possible use for its ChatGPT agent, which it introduced in July 2025.
Davidson founded the short-term accommodation company Sonder in 2014 while still a university student. Sonder reached $143 million in revenue but later struggled financially, went public through a special purpose acquisition company and filed for bankruptcy after its partnership with Marriott fell apart.
