OpenAI Acquires Odessia: AI Travel Startup from Sonder Founder Francis Davidson
Deal at a Glance
OpenAI has acquired Odessia, an AI travel agent startup, according to Odessia founder Francis Davidson. In a post announcing the deal, Davidson said he is now working for OpenAI and helping the AI lab shape the future of travel.
The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but the deal appears to be an acqui-hire.
What Odessia Built
Odessia was a year-old startup that had raised a $6 million pre-seed round led by Sequoia. It launched its AI travel agent roughly five months ago. Davidson's announcement focused largely on how he built the travel agent by directing teams of AI agents.
According to Davidson, early adopters used Odessia to plan millions of dollars' worth of travel. The tool, however, has already been shut down.
OpenAI Stays Quiet
OpenAI did not announce the acquisition and did not confirm it to TechCrunch when asked. The company has also not announced any travel-specific products or plans.
OpenAI does, however, count travel companies such as Booking.com, Expedia, and KAYAK among its customers or partners.
Travel: A Core Use Case for AI Assistants
Travel is one of the primary areas where people use personal AI assistants. When OpenAI launched its ChatGPT agent in July 2025, it cited travel as one of the feature's potential applications.
Why Davidson Matters
The acquisition is notable for another reason: Davidson is well known in the travel industry. He founded a travel startup called Sonder as a college student in 2014. The company operated somewhat like Airbnb but focused on leasing upscale apartments in major cities worldwide.
The pandemic hit Sonder hard. As it recovered, the company went public via a SPAC but did not raise as much money as it needed, Davidson later said in a post announcing his resignation as CEO in June 2025. When a key partnership with Marriott fell through, Sonder filed for bankruptcy and wound down.
In 2026, the bankruptcy trustee sold Sonder's name, trademarks, and website domain to TravelAI. That website now operates as a curated guide to the kind of travel rental properties Sonder was once known for.
Before its downfall, Davidson had built Sonder into a unicorn with $143 million in revenue. While Sonder ultimately was not a success story, Davidson is the kind of battle-scarred founder that Silicon Valley often values.
What's Next
It remains to be seen what OpenAI has in store now that Davidson has joined the company. OpenAI has not yet responded to a request for comment.
via TechCrunch AI