Key takeout: There have been rumours for some time, so it was no surprise when OpenAI announced the launch of ChatGPT Atlas - the company’s first browser.

When Perplexity launched Comet, it was suggested that OpenAI would follow suit and enter the browser wars - aiming to challenge Google Chrome’s dominance of the market.

So why does it matter? For starters, if OpenAI owns the direct relationship with the user, the potential value of its data becomes even greater - since Atlas’s optional “browser memories” feature allows ChatGPT to recall key browsing context to refine future responses (under full user control).

Secondly, this move could pose a long-term threat to Google’s advertising model. Atlas includes a simple web-search tab that lists results in the familiar “ten blue links” format - but without Google’s ads. The higher the adoption of Atlas, the fewer paid listings Google users might see.

That said, Chrome still commands about 60% of the global browser market share and it will take a major shift in consumer behaviour for users to abandon it in favour of Perplexity or Atlas. Even now, I’m writing this newsletter in Chrome, despite having both Comet and Atlas installed on my laptop.

My initial thoughts on Atlas are fairly lukewarm. It’s OK - it feels like a product in its early development phase, which I commented on this week on LinkedIn. I’ve no doubt it will improve over time. OpenAI likely didn’t want to miss the holiday season, which may explain why it shipped in its current state - and on Mac only.

Key takeout: One of the key focuses in the AI space right now is whether OpenAI can change its status from a non-profit to a for-profit organisation. This has been well documented through Elon Musk’s lawsuit against the company, which alleges a breach of its founding agreement, conversion of a charitable mission and misuse of its partnership with Microsoft.

SoftBank’s latest $22.5 billion funding approval brings the conglomerate’s estimated total investment to $30 billion and an estimated 13% ownership of the firm.

This suggests that OpenAI is on track to change its corporate status from a non-profit to a for-profit entity, paving the way for a potential IPO in the future.

The planned restructuring would convert the organisation into a single Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), with investors, employees and the original non-profit each holding traditional shares.

Given OpenAI has stated that it expects to spend $16 billion on compute costs in 2025 and $40 billion in 2026, it’s clear where this capital will be directed.

This is significant news as it implies OpenAI is likely to succeed in changing its corporate governance structure. That shift could open the door to a clearer path toward an IPO and liquidity for shareholders, major investment in compute and infrastructure, tighter commercial alignment with Microsoft, a governance reset and faster progress toward AGI and product expansion.

Key takeout: AI Search takes centre stage once again as The Information reports on hotel chain Tafer Hotels & Resorts, which saw traffic fall by 25% - yet revenue remained steady.

The company’s CMO, Max Gomez Montejo, suggested that lower-quality traffic - for example, searches like “Cancun weather” - has been lost to AI Overviews providing instant answers, while higher-intent users still reach the site to book directly.

It’s a simplistic take on the user journey, but it reflects a broader pattern we’re starting to see across AI search ecosystems: traffic is dropping because the answer is now delivered directly to the user.

Montejo focused on weather-related queries, which are low-value - and it’s clear why losing them doesn’t impact the bottom line. But that misses the point about potential customers now turning to ChatGPT to plan a holiday or compare different hotels.

In Obsero, looking at a set of non-branded prompts focused on discovery (“Which is the best hotel to stay in Cancun?”) and consideration (“Compare beachfront resorts versus city hotels in Mexico”) from US users based in New York, we’re observing similar intent-driven behaviour.

From manual observation, none of the top five brands in terms of visibility appear to be owned by Tafer - so there’s a clear opportunity to invest in AI Search to maintain and grow revenue as user behaviour and technology continue to shift.

The key sources cited by Google and ChatGPT aren’t surprising: Trustpilot ranks highest, followed by Expedia. Interestingly, Travel + Leisure is the third most-cited publisher in this space - one I hadn’t come across before. From a digital PR perspective, it’s a publisher worth exploring for potential partnership opportunities.

The shift is happening right now - and brands need to adapt or risk falling behind.

Source: Obsero.ai, October 2025