OpenAI has just made a big move by acquiring Chat.com, one of the internet’s oldest and most popular domains, originally registered back in 1996.
From now, anyone who types ‘Chat.com’ will be redirected to ChatGPT, OpenAI’s popular AI chatbot.
The tech giant’s CEO Sam Altman announced this on November 7th by simply posting the URL on X (formerly Twitter), without any description or explanation. The post has already secured over 8.9 million views.
— Sam Altman (@sama) November 6, 2024
An OpenAI spokesperson later confirmed the purchase to TechCrunch via email, although they did not disclose the cost, although some news outlets now claim that it was for $10 million.
The previous owner of the domain ‘Chat.com’ was revealed to be Dharmesh Shah, founder and CTO of software company HubSpot. He made headlines by purchasing Chat.com for an impressive $15.5 million, marking it as one of the largest publicly reported domain sales in history.
In March this year, Shah hinted that he had sold the domain to a then-unknown buyer, prompting widespread speculation. Now, he has confirmed the buyer’s identity on X, revealing that OpenAI has acquired Chat.com.
Additionally, Shah implied that he received shares in OpenAI as part of the deal, although specifics remain unknown.
OpenAI’s acquisition appears to be aligned with its focus to broaden ChatGPT’s access points, strengthening its recognition and appealing to a larger, tech-curious audience by leveraging the domain’s historic value and brand potential. It marks the tech giant’s commitment to positioning itself at the forefront of the AI industry.
