❯ OpenAI turns ChatGPT into a place to discover and use software, but has no revenue-sharing plan for developers yet

Using apps mid-conversationThe agent product Dots drew most of the attention at OpenAI’s developer conference on September 29, but TechCrunch argues that the announcements together point to a bigger aim: going around the traditional app store. ChatGPT suggests relevant apps during a conversation, and once connected, users operate them through interactive panels inside the chat without a separate download.

More than 4,000 appsMore than 4,000 apps are now connected to ChatGPT. OpenAI also introduced a “Sign in with ChatGPT” identity feature with 16 launch partners, and a new enterprise app marketplace launched with more than 30 partners, including Adobe, Figma, Salesforce and HubSpot. Dots can use these apps in the background in read-only mode for research and need user approval before taking actions.

The missing checkoutChatGPT has 1.2 billion weekly users, which is what makes it viable as a distribution channel. But TechCrunch points to a key gap: OpenAI announced no billing or revenue-sharing system comparable to an app store’s. Developers can reach users through ChatGPT without yet knowing how to charge inside it.

Apple's and Google's commission businessAn app store is distribution plus payments. If users get used to finding and using software in ChatGPT, phone app stores lose the discovery step first. Developers must judge whether the traffic gained by handing the entry point to OpenAI is worth the risk of later commissions or of being replaced by OpenAI’s own features.

▪ SIGNALOpenAI has taken the app store’s discovery function first and left payment for later, and the commission rate will only come up once developers cannot do without the entry point.