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OpenAI’s plans to make ChatGPT more like Amazon aren’t going so well

OpenAI’s plans to make ChatGPT into an e-commerce hub aren’t exactly panning out — at least, not yet. In an announcement on Tuesday, the company revealed that it’s pivoting away from a recently launched feature that lets users buy items directly from the chatbot’s interface.

OpenAI originally launched buying capabilities in ChatGPT last year — positioning itself as a “shopping assistant” that could connect consumers to relevant vendors. A feature called “Instant Checkout” launched in September and encouraged users to talk with the chatbot about what they were looking to buy and, much like a traditional e-commerce site, add products to a checkout cart within ChatGPT. The items were purchased from the vendors, but ChatGPT acted as a portal for those purchases.

However, Instant Checkout has not been a huge success. “We’ve found that the initial version of Instant Checkout did not offer the level of flexibility that we aspire to provide, so we’re allowing merchants to use their own checkout experiences while we focus our efforts on product discovery,” the company explained in its blog post. OpenAI clarified to TechCrunch that merchants would still have the option of incorporating the feature for the time being through apps within ChatGPT.

An OpenAI spokesperson said that the company would be deprioritizing the development of Instant Checkout as a stand-alone feature and that it planned to prioritize the development of product discovery for consumers instead. OpenAI would continue to support a variety of checkout paths, including through merchants’ own websites, they said.

The Information and CNBC had previously reported that OpenAI’s new plan was for merchants to create their own apps within ChatGPT, which would then route users to checkout experiences at the merchants’ respective websites. A source who spoke with The Information noted that ChatGPT users simply “weren’t using the chatbot to actually help them make purchases,” and a study from October that looked at referral traffic from ChatGPT found that e-commerce sites were not making much money from ChatGPT users.

Instead of transforming ChatGPT into a shopping portal, what OpenAI is doing now is crafting the chatbot into a centralized hub of consumer information. That way, online shoppers will see it as an intermediary research tool that can help them decide what product to ultimately buy.

This shopping experience is powered by its Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), which is its open standard for e-commerce, which the company developed in partnership with fintech giant Stripe. The protocol utilizes data provided by participating merchants.

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Going forward, OpenAI said that ChatGPT would provide more detailed information about products — showcasing side-by-side pictures, while also providing other comparative metrics for each item — like prices, features, and reviews.

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Glean’s top line crosses $300M as AI budget cutting becomes its major selling point

Glean, a company often described as the Google for enterprise, said it has reached $300 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), a three-fold increase from the $100 million milestone it reached just 15 months ago.

While many AI startups are growing at a blistering pace, Glean’s progress is particularly remarkable. After years of essentially being the only player in the category, the seven-year-old startup is accelerating its growth as tech giants enter the enterprise AI search market with rival products.

“The first four or five years of our existence, we had no competition,” Glean CEO Arvind Jain told TechCrunch. “Given how important search is to make AI work in the enterprise, every single company in the world wants to be in this space.”

Tech heavyweights building Glean-like tools include Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, Salesforce, and Atlassian.

Jain maintains there’s value in being a first mover in the space, but that it’s also equally important to offer a better product.

What Glean does better than its competition, according to Jain, comes down to the deep understanding that its AI tools have of customers’ business needs. Glean’s AI achieves this knowledge — a concept captured by the new, popular term “context graph” — by connecting to and learning from enterprises’ internal software systems.

Jain claims that Glean’s context graph also helps enterprises cut AI computing costs.

“If you connect your AI to Glean, it gives you all the information that you need to do your work, and that results in AI consuming far fewer tokens compared to if you unleash AI onto your systems directly,” Jain said. That’s because with Glean, AI ends up performing fewer operations, he added.

At a time when many companies are blowing through their AI budgets, those token cost savings have become a major selling point for the company.

“One of the things you know our customers really like about Glean is the fact that we can reduce your AI bill significantly,” he said.

The company, which was last valued at $7.2 billion when it raised a $150 million Series F last June, offers various pricing structures to its customers, which include Databricks, Reddit, Pinterest, and Samsung.

According to Jain, Glean offers both a consumption-based model, where clients pay per use, and a hybrid model that combines a fixed monthly fee for active users with separate usage fees for model consumption.

Glean is definitely not the first company to do this, but it’s worth pointing out that the company’s $300 million milestone cannot be fully described as traditional ARR, because a consumption model by definition doesn’t have a strictly recurring component.

Pure consumption pricing models depend on fluctuating user activity rather than predictable subscription renewals, therefore a portion of Glean’s top line is more accurately described as an annualized revenue run rate.

Glean did not immediately respond to a request for comment; this post will be updated if the company replies.

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Final 24 hours to save up to $410 on your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 ticket

This is it. The countdown is almost over. You now have until tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT to lock in Early Bird savings of up to $410 for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 before prices increase.

If Disrupt has been on your must-attend list, this is your final chance to secure the lowest available rates before the next price jump hits. Once the deadline passes, so do the savings.

Register now and join 10,000+ founders, investors, operators, and innovators at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 13–15 for three days packed with networking, startup discovery, and conversations shaping the future of tech. Bring a plus-one at 50%, or bring a group to get an up to 30% discount.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 24 hours left

What makes Disrupt worth attending year after year

TechCrunch Disrupt is where startup momentum accelerates. The event brings together the people actively building, funding, and scaling what’s next across AI, fintech, SaaS, climate, cybersecurity, consumer tech, and beyond.

Attendees come to Disrupt for:

  • Direct access to investors, founders, and operators making moves now.
  • Conversations that lead to partnerships, funding, and hires.
  • Tactical insights from leaders scaling breakout companies.
  • An inside look at emerging technologies before they hit the mainstream.

With 300+ exhibiting startupsStartup Battlefield 200, curated networking experiences, and multiple stages of programming, Disrupt is built to help attendees make meaningful connections and real business progress.

TechCrunch Disrupt Expo Hall
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Built for the people shaping what’s next

Disrupt is designed for founders raising capital, investors sourcing opportunities, operators scaling companies, and innovators looking for an edge. Whether you’re launching your next startup, growing your network, or tracking the future of technology, Disrupt puts you in the room with the people driving the industry forward.

Hear directly from tech leaders shaping the industry

Every year, Disrupt brings together hundreds of influential voices across startups and venture capital. Past speakers have included leaders from the companies and firms shaping the future of AI, enterprise software, fintech, consumer tech, and more.

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This year will deliver the same high-caliber experience, with 200+ sessions across six industry-focused stages, plus roundtables and breakouts covering scaling, AI, fintech, infrastructure, robotics, and emerging technologies. Explore the growing agenda to see the latest sessions and speaker announcements.

Speakers include:

Savings of up to $410 end tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT

Early Bird savings of up to $410 end tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT. After that, ticket prices increase.

Register now to secure your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass at a low rate before the deadline expires. Bringing more than just you? Save 50% on a second ticket, or up to 30% on community passes.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 exhibitor
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Today is the last day to apply to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 returns October 13–15 to Moscone West in San Francisco — and applications to speak are open for just a few more hours.

We’re inviting founders, investors, operators, and technology experts to apply for a chance to take the stage at one of the most influential tech events of the year.

More than 10,000 startup and VC leaders will gather at Disrupt 2026 to explore what’s next in AI, scaling, fintech, infrastructure, robotics, and the future of innovation.

Applications close tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now to share your expertise and help shape the conversations defining the tech industry.

Pick your session format

We’re looking for high-impact speakers to lead one of two session types:

Breakout Sessions: A 30-minute talk (up to 4 speakers, including a moderator) with a 20-minute audience Q&A. Capacity: 100 attendees.

Roundtables: A 30-minute speaker-led group discussion, designed for up to 40 participants. No slides or AV — just insight and conversation.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 Breakout Session
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How the application process works

Each application will be carefully reviewed by our editorial team. Finalists will be selected for the Audience Choice vote — where TechCrunch readers choose which sessions make it to the Disrupt Stage. Learn more about speaking on Disrupt’s Call for Content page.

Lead the conversation at Disrupt 2026

If you have actionable insights, real-world experience, and a desire to contribute meaningfully to the tech ecosystem, we want to hear from you. Submit your application before today’s deadline.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, October 13-15

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