ChatGPT Work Alternative: A Squad Instead of a Chatbot
Raina Rufus, Founder of xSquads
Published
Choose xSquads as a ChatGPT Work alternative when each knowledge worker should have a squad of specialised agents working together as a swarm, instead of chatting with one general agent such as ChatGPT or Copilot. Choose ChatGPT Work when a company wants that one agent inside ChatGPT, on the apps people already use, for multi-step research, data and decks.
On 22 October 2026 Uber took the second path. OpenAI says Uber expanded ChatGPT Work from a pilot of 1,000 employees to more than 30,000, as an agent inside ChatGPT Enterprise. TechCrunch reports the same expansion, and that 80% of the pilot users were non-engineers. This page was written on 6 November 2026 from those two articles. It is not a later readout from Uber.
xSquads is our product. Rollout claims below are only what those two pieces say.
Short answer
ChatGPT Work, in this rollout, is one general work agent for a company. OpenAI says it handles complex, multi-step tasks and finished work, connected to Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar and Slack.
xSquads for Work gives every knowledge worker their own squad. The agents are specialised, they work together as a swarm, and you review the result on your own files. The app is live on Mac and Windows. It is free with Pro agents. Download it.
Nearby questions stay on their own pages, and this one does not re-argue them. OpenAI's agent, local files and a virtual computer: ChatGPT agent alternative. When one loop beats a set of subagents: single agent vs multi-agent. An assistant that answers versus a coworker that returns a file: AI assistant for work.
What Uber deployed
OpenAI's 22 October 2026 post says Uber rolled ChatGPT Work out that day, from a pilot of 1,000 employees to more than 30,000, inside ChatGPT Enterprise. OpenAI calls it Uber's first company-wide agentic platform for knowledge work: an agent for a wide range of tasks, complex multi-step work and finished deliverables.
It connects to Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar and Slack. The jobs OpenAI names are research, meeting briefs, presentations, data analysis and workflows across those apps. Uber is adding an internal AI skills library, approved integrations and training for operations, finance, marketing and product. Engineering teams will also keep using Codex. OpenAI says adoption, use cases and measurable outcomes will be shared as the rollout progresses. Those numbers are not in the post.
TechCrunch's article the same day says Uber's entire global workforce, some 30,000 people, will use ChatGPT Work, and that the product was introduced in July. Sumanth Sukumar, VP of engineering, told TechCrunch the pilot included finance, operations and product, and that some 80% of early users were non-engineers. They analyzed operational data and made recommendations, localized training materials for different markets and languages, and built dashboards. He said Uber has not settled how people will use it: tools are available, and teams have room to experiment. Spend was not disclosed. Neither piece has a before-and-after for quality, time or cost.
One agent is not a personal squad
That account is an agent, not a chat box that only answers. The specialisation Uber added is a company layer around one agent: a skills library, an approved integration list and training. Several functions still bring tasks to the same front door, and a person still frames the next request.
A personal squad splits the work by role. xSquads for Work gives every knowledge worker their own squad of specialised agents working together as a swarm. That is the alternative to chatting with ChatGPT or Copilot. The squad works on your own files and folders, and finished work waits until you approve it. The app is live on Mac and Windows and free with Pro agents. Roles are on squads. The launch note is xSquads for Work is live.
xSquads is not a connector for Drive, Gmail, Calendar or Slack, and it does not run inside ChatGPT Enterprise. If those apps are the requirement, ChatGPT Work is what these sources describe.
One general work agent vs a personal squad
The first column is Uber's deployment, not a catalogue of every OpenAI product. xSquads was not in the pilot, so the second column does not borrow Uber's numbers.
| One general work agent (ChatGPT Work at Uber) | A personal specialised squad (xSquads for Work) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | One agent for a company's knowledge workers. OpenAI: more than 30,000 people, after a pilot of 1,000 | Every knowledge worker, with their own squad |
| How you work with it | A wide range of tasks inside ChatGPT Enterprise | Specialised agents working together as a swarm. You delegate, then review |
| What it is attached to | Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar and Slack: research, briefs, decks, data, cross-app workflows | Your own files and folders. Not those connectors |
| Uber's pilot | Some 80% non-engineers, in finance, operations and product | Not part of that pilot |
| Where it runs | ChatGPT Enterprise | A desktop app, live on Mac and Windows |
| Money, from these sources | Uber did not disclose spend. No ChatGPT prices are compared here | Free with Pro agents |
OpenAI also says Uber's developers keep Codex. The knowledge-work rollout did not retire the engineering tool. That is a fact about Uber's stack, not a finding that ChatGPT Work cannot help with code.
Which reader should pick which
Choose ChatGPT Work when one shared agent on Drive, Gmail, Calendar and Slack is the point, including when you want a skills library, approved integrations and training around that agent, and you can wait for outcome numbers OpenAI has not published.
Choose xSquads when the work is a folder and each knowledge worker should review a squad, rather than chat with one general agent such as ChatGPT or Copilot. Download it. It is free with Pro agents.
Use both only when the jobs stay separate. This page does not claim they share a login, a task board or a connector.
Where these facts come from
Checked on 6 November 2026. Both articles are from 22 October 2026.
- Uber brings ChatGPT Work to all employees (OpenAI): the date, more than 30,000 employees, the pilot of 1,000, ChatGPT Enterprise, multi-step tasks, Drive, Gmail, Calendar and Slack, the skills library, approved integrations, training, Codex for engineering, and outcomes still to come.
- Uber puts all 30,000 employees on ChatGPT Work (TechCrunch, Lucas Ropek): some 30,000 people, the July introduction, Sumanth Sukumar on the 80% non-engineer share, the pilot tasks, room to experiment, and no disclosed spend.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a ChatGPT Work alternative?
A ChatGPT Work alternative is another way to get knowledge work done when one general agent inside ChatGPT is not the shape you want. xSquads for Work gives every knowledge worker their own squad of specialised agents working together as a swarm. It is a desktop app, live on Mac and Windows, and it is free with Pro agents.
What did Uber roll out on 22 October 2026?
OpenAI says Uber expanded ChatGPT Work from a pilot of 1,000 employees to more than 30,000, as an agent inside ChatGPT Enterprise for complex, multi-step tasks. OpenAI says it connects to Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar and Slack. TechCrunch reports that 80% of the pilot users were non-engineers.
When does ChatGPT Work make more sense than a squad?
When you want one company agent inside ChatGPT on Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar and Slack. OpenAI says that agent researches information, prepares meeting briefs, creates presentations, analyzes data and completes workflows across those applications. A personal squad on your own files does not replace that setup.
When should someone choose xSquads instead of ChatGPT Work?
When each knowledge worker should delegate to specialised agents working together as a swarm, and review the result on their own files, instead of chatting with one general agent such as ChatGPT or Copilot. The app is live on Mac and Windows, and it is free with Pro agents.
Did Uber publish results from the ChatGPT Work rollout?
Not in the OpenAI post or the TechCrunch article from 22 October 2026. OpenAI says the companies plan to share adoption, use cases and measurable outcomes as the rollout progresses. TechCrunch says Uber did not disclose spend and will track how employees use the tool.
Can ChatGPT Work and xSquads be used together?
Yes, if the jobs are different. ChatGPT Work, as OpenAI describes the Uber rollout, is one agent inside ChatGPT Enterprise across company apps. xSquads for Work is a personal squad on your own files. This page does not claim they share a login, a board or a connector.
Related Reading
- ChatGPT agent alternative: the agent on OpenAI's docs, including files and a virtual computer.
- Single agent vs multi-agent: Anthropic's guide on one loop versus subagents. Not a review of Uber.
- AI assistant for work: the assistant that waits, and the coworker that brings a file back.
- xSquads for Work is live, plus squads and xSquads for Work.
If the work is one agent across Drive, Gmail, Calendar and Slack, use ChatGPT Work and read OpenAI's Uber post before you standardise on it. If every knowledge worker should have a squad of specialised agents working together as a swarm, download xSquads for Mac and Windows. It is free with Pro agents.
Raina Rufus, Founder of xSquads
Give yourself a squad of AI teammates
Your own squad of specialised agents to delegate to and review. The app is live on Mac and Windows. xSquads for Work is free with Pro agents.