OpenAI on Wednesday announced ChatGPT for Teachers, a version of its artificial intelligence chatbot that is designed for K-12 educators and school districts. 

Educators can use ChatGPT for Teachers to securely work with student information, get personalized teaching support and collaborate with colleagues within their district, OpenAI said. There are also administrative controls that district leaders can use to determine how ChatGPT for Teachers will work within their communities. 

OpenAI said it is initially launching ChatGPT for Teachers with a cohort of districts that represent roughly 150,000 educators. ChatGPT for Teachers will be free to K-12 educators in the U.S. through June 2027, the company said. 

“Our objective here is to make sure that teachers have access to AI tools as well as a teacher-focused experience so they can truly guide AI use,” Leah Belsky, vice president of education at OpenAI, told reporters during a briefing. 

The company said student data will be protected and that anything shared within ChatGPT for Teachers will not be used to train its models. 

OpenAI rocketed into the mainstream following the launch of its generic ChatGPT chatbot in 2022. It’s faced criticism from teachers and parents who argue that students can use the tool to cheat and avoid engaging in critical thinking.

ChatGPT for Teachers is not intended for students, but OpenAI said giving teachers hands-on experience with AI tools will help them understand and establish best practices in their classrooms.  

“Every student today is growing up with AI, and teachers play a central role in helping them learn how to use these tools responsibly and effectively,” the company said in a blog post. “To support that work, educators need space to explore AI for themselves.”

In July, OpenAI released a product within ChatGPT called “study mode.” Study mode was built with college-age students in mind, and it aims to help them work through problems step-by-step before they arrive at an answer.

OpenAI said it built study mode as “a first step in a longer journey to improve learning in ChatGPT.”

WATCH: Investors believe OpenAI will become the largest hyperscaler: The Futurum Group CEO Daniel Newman

Block said Wednesday that it expects gross profit to increase in the mid-teens annually for the next three years, reaching about $15.8 billion in 2028.

At the payment company’s first investor day event since 2022, Block unveiled a three-year financial outlook. The announcements land as Wall Street has turned skeptical on Block’s prospects, pushing the stock down by more than 30% in 2025, while major indexes have notched solid gains.

Block shares were initially halted around the time of the announcement and then jumped 9% when trading resumed.

The fresh guidance also comes two weeks after Block reported quarterly results, missing revenue estimates for a sixth straight time. Block has been diversifying away from its point-of-sale business, which has become increasingly crowded, launching more services tied to Cash App and offering artificial intelligence tools to sellers.

Block said in its new outlook that adjusted operating income is projected to increase about 30% annually, topping $4.6 billion by 2028. Adjusted earnings per share will grow in the low 30% range, reaching $5.50 in three years.

Chief Financial Officer Amrita Ahuja told CNBC ahead of the release that the company is entering a new phase of execution.

“Since 2022, our last investor day, we’re nearly double the size from a gross profit perspective,” Ahuja said, adding that earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization “more than tripled.”

Block also introduced a new non-GAAP cash flow metric, designed to reflect the capital required to grow its lending products, which it expects to reach more than $4 billion, or 25% of gross profit, by 2028.

For 2026, Block expects gross profit to rise 17% to $11.98 billion, with adjusted operating income and EPS both increasing more than 30%, to $2.7 billion and $3.20, respectively.

Ahuja said Block has adopted a “rule of 40” investment framework. That typically refers to revenue growth rate plus profit margin exceeding 40. She said the company expects to reach that metric this year and has reorganized around a single roadmap with a shared technical infrastructure.

“That transformation has resulted in us moving faster, with more connected decisions across our ecosystem,” Ahuja said.

On Wednesday, Block also expanded its share repurchase program by $5 billion, adding to the $1.1 billion in remaining authorization as of Sept. 30. The prior buyback plan was for up to $4 billion in purchases.

Block CEO Jack Dorsey, who co-founded the company as Square in 2009, was in attendance at the investor event. Dorsey has largely been out of public view in recent years.

WATCH: Block shares drop more than 8% on quarterly miss

Kraken confidentially filed to go public in the U.S., a person familiar with the matter told CNBC on Wednesday.

A Kraken spokesperson declined to comment on the timing of its plans.

Kraken is the latest crypto company to attempt to tap the public market since President Donald Trump came back to the White House. Crypto trading platforms Bullish and Gemini Space Station listed their shares on major stock exchanges in August and September, respectively. And in June, stablecoin issuer Circle raised just north of $1 billion in its blockbuster IPO.

The boom in crypto-linked listings comes as IPOs have seen a resurgence in the U.S. this year.  

Founded in 2011, Kraken is a U.S.-based platform that facilitates the trading of digital assets like bitcoin and ether. It also offers tokenized equities trading to clients in the European Union.

Kraken recently raised $800 million at a $20 billion valuation, including $200 million from Citadel Securities, the company said Tuesday in a statement. The firm plans to use those funds to expand its footprint in foreign markets, in addition to building out its payment services.