Did OpenAI just spend over $10 million on a URL?

On Wednesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted a simple url on X: chat.com. Automatically routes to ChatGPT.

Previously, the domain was owned by Dharmesh Shah, founder and CTO of HubSpot. In early 2023, Shah purchased chat.com for $15.5 million. However, just a few months later announced that it has sold the domainalthough he did not reveal details of the sale or the buyer. In particular, he confirmed that he sold the domain for more than he originally paid for it.

“The reason I bought chat.com is simple: I think the chat-based UX (#ChatUX) is the next big thing in software. Communication with computers/software through a natural language interface is much more intuitive. This is made possible by generative artificial intelligence,” Shah wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing the purchase of chat.com briefly redirected to before he sold it.

After the article was published, Shah confirmed in a post on X that OpenAI had indeed purchased the domain from him and suggested that the startup paid him in stock, not cash.

The removal of “GPT” from the chat.com domain is in line with OpenAI’s recent rebranding efforts.

People accumulating “vanity domains” is a story as aged as the Internet itself. Just a few months ago A friend launched an AI startup $1.8 million on friends.com after raising $2.5 million in funding. Having just raised $6.6 billion, OpenAI is dropping over $10 million in cash or stock, which is just a drop in the bucket.

November 6, 2024 update: Added Shah confirmation of domain sale.