OpenAI Acquires Chat.com Domain for Over $15 Million, Signaling Potential Branding Shift

ChatGPT's new web address was wildly expensive...

It can happen to anyone. You design a website with one of the best web builders and think you're ready to go only to realise that you need to pay a pretty price for a domain name. But few internet domain names cost as much as what OpenAI, the company behind the AI chatbot ChatGPT and the AI image generator DALL-E, just paid for chat.com. The company is reported to have paid over $15 million in shares for the domain, which now redirects to, yep, ChatGPT. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced the move in the week simply by sharing the URL in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The seller was Dharmesh Shah, the founder and CTO of HubSpot, who only bought the web address last year. He said he paid $15.5 million for it, and he sold it to OpenAI just months later. He wrote on LinkedIn before the sale: "The reason I bought chat.com is simple: I think Chat-based UX (#ChatUX) is the next big thing in software. Communicating with computers/software through a natural language interface is much more intuitive. This is made possible by Generative A.I." Shah said last year that he had sold the site for a profit. In a post on X last week, he clarified that he was paid in OpenAI shares (when I say clarified... he posted in the style of prompt written for ChatGPT asking the AI bot to calculate how many OpenAI shares he should be paid in exchange for the URL). Is chat.com really worth $15 million to OpenAI? It could be, because it makes a massive difference to its branding. OpenAI already owns AI.com, which also redirects to ChatGPT. But 'Chat.com' is more human and friendly than both of those domains, and that can make the difference as the Microsoft-backed company aims to win more mainstream appeal for its chatbot. Dropping the 'GPT' to become simple Chat, or Chat.com, would make the AI chat bot sound less arcane and more approachable. It's short, simple and unforgettable, whereas, GPT, for many people, is three randomly chosen letters. 'Chat' also references OpenAI's focus on creating a conversational UX for using generative AI while leaving enough space to create a story around the brand (see our piece on the golden rules for creating effective product names and our article on how the world's biggest brands got their names).

Is ChatGPT about to become chat.com? -- OpenAI drops over $15,000,000 on new domain

Open AI has a new domain name for ChatGPT, and it's a good one. Not content with ChatGPT.com, the AI lab is rumored to have spent at least $15 million to secure chat.com. In his usual cryptic way, CEO Sam Altman posted "chat.com" in a message on X with no other details or context, later confirmed to be the new domain for ChatGPT. This joins chatgpt.com and the impressive ai.com as URLs pointing to OpenAI's nearly two-year-old chatbot. It isn't clear why OpenAI invested in the domain, although Altman has previously posted on social media about "getting ChatGPT a present" for its birthday. The company has also launched new models including the reasoning o1 model that don't use the GPT initials, so it could be part of a gentle move away from the ChatGPT name. In terms of the exact purchase price, that hasn't been revealed but Dharmesh Shah, founder of HubSpot previously owned the domain. He paid $15.5m for it a year ago and recently wrote on X that he sold it for "more than he paid for it". OpenAI does not need chat.com in its current form, but Altman has recently started talking about a differentiation between the GPT family and the new o1-family of models. He says they are different tracks and in recent announcements, the letters GPT play less of a role. GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer and harks back to the days when OpenAI was a research lab. The first models were all named GPT- and then a number. It wasn't until ChatGPT launched, built on GPT-3.5 that the company hit mainstream attention. ChatGPT was originally launched as a research preview, a way to show off the capabilities of GPT-3.5 rather than as a consumer product but it took off and now, with the advent of non-GPT models, it looks like ChatGPT might simply become chat.com. The domain name has had an interesting history, starting life as a general chatroom platform in the late 90s. This was a 'Wild West' era for online communication. The domain was owned by Cnet for some time and pointed to download.com. Chat.com has gone through several owners since then with multiple attempts to create a 'central hub' for online communication. It looks like it is now going to be a way to chat to a non-human entity, rather than other people. When it was first revealed he was the owner of chat.com, Shah took to LinkedIn to share his reasoning for dropping more than $15 million on a domain name. He said: "Chat-based UX is the next big thing in software" and that "communicating with computers/software for natural language interface is much more intuitive". The founder added that the domain was "brilliant in terms of simplicity, shortness and being 'on point' for meeting the moment". He said somebody would build a massively successful product on top of it. This was when ChatGPT was already a year old and a success. In his X post confirming OpenAI as the buyer, Shah wrote a 'prompt for ChatGPT o1 to reason over' which included some details on the deal. In it, he suggests he doesn't sell domains for a loss, that OpenAI was the perfect home and that he's close friends with Altman. Shah added that he "doesn't like profiting off of people he considers friends" and recently became an OpenAI investor. This suggests the deal was for a cost sale with a potential stock buy-in as part of the process.

OpenAI has bought the URL of what used to be an adult video chat website for more than $15,500,000

Head over to chat.com and you'll notice you're redirected to chatgpt.com, where you can talk with one of OpenAI's LLM chatbots. The Verge pointed this out after noticing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Tweeted (or rather, "X'd"?) just the chat.com URL, presumably because the redirect had just gone live. The previous owner of the URL was HubSpot founder Dharmesh Shah who purchased it in 2023 for $15.5 million. According to a Wikipedia list of the most expensive domains, it's the third most expensive URL on the internet, after voice.com and 360.com. Last year, Shah confirmed he sold the URL for more than he paid for it, so we can infer that OpenAI bought it for more than $15,500,000. We don't know exactly how much higher than this number the URL sold for. But while Shah doesn't give us a figure, he does give us a detailed prompt for GPT o1, asking for it to provide an "approximate range", which he says the model "does a really good job of reasoning through." I put this prompt into ChatGPT and it came up with a domain sale price of $20 million to $25 million, with 50% to 70% of this being OpenAI shares. It's a catchy and versatile URL, of course, so that it's going for a lot of cash isn't too surprising. At least according to some archived snapshots of the website from as recently as 2019, the chat.com URL used to lead to an adult video cam and chat room website. (How much of the internet do they say is pornographic, again?) Shah's confirmation that OpenAI was the company to purchase the chat.com URL came when he said the "secret acquirer of [the] $15+ million domain chat.com [is] revealed and it's exactly who you'd think." It's "exactly who you'd think" because, well, what other big player can you think of that would be as keen to use "chat" in its branding? If there's one company that could become synonymous with "chat" branding, as broad as that term is, it would be OpenAI with its ChatGPT models. And if you're wondering why a not-for-profit company would care so much about branding: don't. It's now not even an open secret so much as an open fact that OpenAI is vying to become for-profit. Just a few days ago the company began discussing the possibility with the California attorney general's office. I'm a little skeptical of some recent talk about ChatGPT having already done a lot of this rebranding, however, given that the Chat/ChatGPT website and model selector still says ChatGPT, not "OpenAI Chat" or just "Chat". Plus, "ChatGPT" is such a ubiquitous name, now, that I wonder how beneficial it would be to switch away from the branding. Then again, if AI chat really does become a new standard for interfacing with all our tech, it might make sense to pivot towards a more general branding for the long term.

OpenAI just spent a fortune on buying a domain, but it makes sense - Softonic

On the Internet, positioning is vital. Even with a very popular service, having a simple domain with a commonly used word can significantly boost visits to your website. And this is exactly what OpenAI, the popular AI company, must have thought this week when it acquired the domain chat.com. Sam Altman, CEO of the company, was the one who revealed the acquisition last Wednesday, posting a simple tweet that contained only the link to chat.com, which now automatically redirects to ChatGPT, the popular generative AI-based chatbot from OpenAI. With this purchase, the company intends to strengthen its brand and simplify access to its platform. Before it became a part of OpenAI, the domain was owned by Dharmesh Shah, founder and CTO of HubSpot, who bought it in early 2023 for 15.5 million dollars. Although Shah kept the transaction details secret, he made it clear that he sold the domain for a sum higher than what he himself had paid. "The reason I bought chat.com is simple: I believe chat-based UX (#ChatUX) is the next big thing in software," explained Shah on LinkedIn a year ago. In a tweet quoting Altman's post, Shah also mentioned that OpenAI paid him in company shares instead of cash, something that could highlight the company's interest in reserving its capital for other projects. This acquisition is just another example of OpenAI's recent investments, which recently raised $6.6 billion in a funding round. The purchase of the chat.com domain aligns with other measures the company has taken to renew its image and redefine its brand strategy. In September, the company introduced new reasoning models under the nomenclature "o1," and its former research director, Bob McGrew, explained at the time that this series would be "the first step towards more sensible names."

OpenAI bought the web domain Chat.com

OpenAI has scooped up a domain name that sounds like a logical fit. TechCrunch reports that Chat.com, which was previously bought for over $15 million, is now in the hands of the ChatGPT maker. According to the domain history website who.is, Chat.com was first registered way back in September 1996. Before OpenAI's acquisition, it last changed hands in 2023, when HubSpot co-founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah reportedly bought it for $15.5 million. We can speculate that the executive saw the burgeoning AI chatbot industry and the concise term's potential for a big return. It was reportedly one of the top two publicly reported domain sales ever. OpenAI hasn't said how much it paid for Chat.com, but it confirmed with TechCrunch that it bought the domain. And if you're expecting drastic changes from OpenAI's chatbot, the move isn't likely tied to a ChatGPT rebrand. Regardless, the domain now redirects to the world-changing AI tool.

Multimillion-dollar domain chat.com now points to ChatGPT

On Wednesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman merely tweeted "chat.com," announcing that the company had acquired the short domain name, which now points to the company's ChatGPT AI assistant when visited in a web browser. As of Thursday morning, "chatgpt.com" still hosts the chatbot, with the new domain serving as a redirect. The new domain name comes with an interesting backstory that reveals a multimillion-dollar transaction. HubSpot founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah purchased chat.com for $15.5 million in early 2023, The Verge reports. Shah sold the domain to OpenAI for an undisclosed amount, though he confirmed on X that he "doesn't like profiting off of people he considers friends" and he received payment in company shares by revealing he is "now an investor in OpenAI." As The Verge's Kylie Robison points out, Shah originally bought the domain to promote conversational interfaces. "The reason I bought chat.com is simple: I think Chat-based UX (#ChatUX) is the next big thing in software. Communicating with computers/software through a natural language interface is much more intuitive. This is made possible by Generative A.I.," Shah wrote in a LinkedIn post during his brief ownership.

OpenAI buys Chat.com to strengthen AI presence

OpenAI has added a significant asset to its domain portfolio by acquiring Chat.com, a well-established web domain originally registered in September 1996. This latest acquisition is part of OpenAI's ongoing efforts to expand its brand and presence in the artificial intelligence space. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, announced the acquisition in a simple post on X (formerly Twitter), sharing just the URL "chat.com." As of today, the domain now redirects visitors to OpenAI's chatbot, ChatGPT. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the acquisition through an email statement. The history of Chat.com dates back to 1996, making it one of the longstanding domain names on the web. Last year, Dharmesh Shah, co-founder and CTO of HubSpot, bought the domain for $15.5 million, positioning it among the most expensive domain sales on record. Shah announced in March that he had sold Chat.com to an undisclosed buyer, and late on Thursday, he confirmed that OpenAI was that buyer. Shah hinted that the transaction involved OpenAI shares as part of the compensation. Although OpenAI has not revealed the exact amount paid for the acquisition, many predict the price exceeded $15 million, given the previous sale value and the high demand for premium domains in the AI sector. Shah's posts on X and LinkedIn suggested a complex deal, possibly including a mix of cash and equity. He mentioned that he had always wanted to own shares in OpenAI, which aligns with the idea that the transaction included stock options. OpenAI's acquisition of high-profile domain names is not a new strategy. Last year, the company acquired ai.com, which also redirects users to ChatGPT. However, ai.com briefly redirected to Elon Musk's xAI earlier this year. The details of that switch remain unclear, leaving questions about whether Musk had acquired the domain or if the original owner was negotiating with multiple parties. Currently, both Chat.com and ai.com redirect to OpenAI's flagship AI chatbot, ChatGPT. The decision to acquire these domains underscores OpenAI's push to make AI more accessible to users, positioning ChatGPT as the definitive conversational AI product online. While no rebranding has been confirmed, the move to consolidate these valuable domains hints at a broader branding effort to associate everyday terms like "chat" and "AI" with OpenAI's services. The acquisition has sparked discussions within the tech community, especially regarding the potential implications for OpenAI's business strategy. Securing domains like Chat.com and ai.com allows OpenAI to strengthen its market presence and simplifies how users find its services. This strategy is consistent with the company's efforts to lead the AI landscape by making its tools and services synonymous with common AI-related terminology. Sam Altman's low-key announcement on X gained significant attention, quickly amassing over three million views and thousands of likes. The post's simplicity reflects OpenAI's confidence in its brand and its approach to big announcements - letting the action speak for itself without extensive promotion. Dharmesh Shah's involvement in the sale also attracted interest. In a detailed post, Shah described how he acquired the domain last year and his reasons for selling it. He hinted at a friendly relationship with OpenAI, suggesting that the terms of the deal were favorable beyond just the monetary aspect. Shah noted that he doesn't typically profit from transactions involving friends, adding to speculation that he may have accepted a lower price in exchange for shares in OpenAI. This latest acquisition also highlights the competitive nature of securing high-value domains within the AI industry. Premium domains like Chat.com are valuable assets that can significantly impact branding, user acquisition, and visibility. By acquiring Chat.com, OpenAI not only gains a premium web address but also removes a potential asset from competitors who might want to use it for similar AI chatbot services.

OpenAI Buys Chat.com

OpenAI has added another notable domain to its portfolio with the acquisition of Chat.com. Sam Altman posted on X a simple link of the URL "chat.com" signalling the change. Chat.com now redirects visitors to ChatGPT, a move that was confirmed by an OpenAI representative via email. Originally registered in September 1996, Chat.com is one of the web's longstanding domains. Reports last year revealed that HubSpot co-founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah purchased Chat.com for $15.5 million, marking it as one of the most expensive domain sales on record. In March, Shah announced that he had sold Chat.com to an undisclosed buyer. Late today, he confirmed on X that OpenAI was the purchaser, hinting that the transaction might have involved OpenAI shares. OpenAI has not disclosed the amount they paid for this acquisition, but people predict it's likely more than $15 million. The race to acquiring domains has been long standing. Last year, OpenAI was the first to acquire ai.com, to make AI synonymous with ChatGPT. A few months later, ai.com was leading to Elon Musk's xAI, highlighting its mission to understand reality. But it was not revealed if Musk actually bought the domain from OpenAI or if it was just the owner of the domain trying to sell it to both the parties. Cut to present, Chat.com and ai.com, both now redirect to OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Sam Altman may have dropped millions of dollars -- and OpenAI shares -- to buy a single URL

It looks like Sam Altman just acquired a four letter URL worth more than $15 million. On Wednesday, the OpenAI CEO ominously tweeted a simple URL, chat.com, which is now the new home of his company's flagship AI tool, ChatGPT. The new URL was previously owned by Dharmesh Shah, the cofounder of CRM platform HubSpot, who wrote on LinkedIn in 2023 that he paid an "8 figure sum" for it. At the time, Shah wrote that it was "the most expensive domain name transaction I've ever been involved with," saying he bought the domain name because he believes chat-based software is the next big thing. He also added he would not be using the domain name for his own company and would sell it if a buyer appeared. "Chat.com is absolutely brilliant in terms of simplicity, shortness and being totally *on point* and meeting the moment," Shah wrote at the time. Yet, just a few months later, Shah said he had sold the domain without specifying who the buyer was. He said at the time he had used $250,000 of the gains from the sale and donated it to Khan Academy, a nonprofit educational organization. Following Altman's tweet, Shah confirmed that OpenAI had purchased the domain name, which he said he had bought for $15.5 million. As for the price that OpenAI paid for the URL, Shah was intentionally vague. In a tongue-in-cheek ChatGPT-style prompt in his post, Shah seemed to imply that he did not profit off the domain sale and likely took some OpenAI shares as payment. He stated in the prompt-like passage that he has known Altman for 10 years and doesn't like to profit off of his friends.

OpenAI Buys Porn Domain for Huge Sum

We already knew that OpenAI had a lot of money to throw around. But even for the Sam Altman-led outfit, the money it spent on a -- how shall we put this? -- spicy domain is staggering. And hilariously, the purchase makes OpenAI the proud new owner of a domain -- Chat.com -- that once belonged to an adult video cam and chat room website, as first spotted by PC Gamer. According to an archived version of the site, it previously hosted video chats in rooms with names like "Sexy," "Fantasy," "Tease," and "Foot Fetish." "Unlike other free chat sites, all you have to do is click the Enter button and start chatting immediately," a read a notice on the now-defunct service, with "no registration required and no need to download or install any software." Instead of allowing people to show each other their private parts, the domain now sends visitors straight to ChatGPT -- an unsurprising development, given its new owner. From OpenAI's point of view, the acquisition does make a certain amount of sense; the company has an abysmal track record when it comes to catchy or memorable branding, so Chat.com is -- in theory, at least -- a savvy buy. It's unclear exactly what OpenAI paid for the domain, but it sounds like a lot. In a LinkedIn post, its previous owner Dharmesh Shah, who bought the domain for $15.5 million in 2023, revealed only that he got a lot more than what he had originally purchased it for. As Shah put it in a tweet responding to Altman's unceremonious announcement, the new owner of the domain is "exactly who you'd think." "When he does sell a domain, it's almost never at a loss," he wrote, referring to himself in the third person. The news comes a week after OpenAI revealed "ChatGPT search," a service presumably designed to compete with Google by harnessing the power of its AI models to scour the internet. "You can get fast, timely answers with links to relevant web sources, which you would have previously needed to go to a search engine for," the company wrote in its announcement. Exactly how Chat.com will be integrated into the AI company's long term plans remains unclear. But it certainly rolls off the tongue much more easily than "ChatGPT" ever did.

HubSpot Co-Founder Quietly Sold Chat.com to OpenAI for Shares in AI Company

He later sold it to OpenAI for an undisclosed sum, at least some of which was paid in shares. On Wednesday, Nov. 6, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted the URL "chat.com" on X, using the platform to reveal a new domain for ChatGPT. Responding to the post, HubSpot Co-Founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah confirmed that he sold OpenAI the domain and that he accepted at least part of the payment in shares. How Dharmesh Shah Flipped Chat.com Shah initially revealed that he had bought chat.com earlier this year when he reported that he had paid an eight-figure sum for the domain name, which was the most expensive he had ever acquired. "The reason I bought chat.com is simple," he said at the time, observing that AI chatbots are "the next big thing in software" and chat.com is "absolutely brilliant" in terms of simplicity, shortness, and meeting the moment. In a follow-up post two months later, Shah said he initially paid over $10 million for the domain but had since sold it for more. OpenAI Splashes Out on New Web URL Although Shah didn't reveal the exact price OpenAI paid for chat.com, his latest X post confirmed that it was more than $15.5 million, but not that much more because he "doesn't like profiting off of people he considers friends." "I know many are curious about the sale price," he added, "so here's a prompt that GPT o1 does a really good job of reasoning through." Following Shah's instructions, ChatGPT estimated that he was paid $15.5 million to $20 million and received between 75% and 100% of the payment in equity. What Will Happen to Old ChatGPT Domain For now, chat.com redirects to chatgpt.com, and there is no indication that OpenAI intends to rebrand the platform. Nevertheless, if the new domain name proves popular, it could be established as ChatGPT's primary URL. A more radical prospect is that OpenAI could drop the "GPT" entirely and start referring to its flagship chatbot simply as "chat." Given ChatGPT's brand recognition, this could be risky, but such rebrands aren't unheard of, like when Facebook ditched the "the" or when Dunkin' Donuts became plain old Dunkin'.

ChatGPT just got easier to find when you're searching for something

ChatGPT has just paid a reported 15.5 million dollars for the URL chat.com, making it easier to get to ChaGPT. Now when you type Chat.com into your browser you'll be redirected to ChatGPT.com. The move sparks rumors that the ChatGPT chatbot and search engine could be about to undergo a rebrand so it is better able to compete with rivals like Google. The redirect was announced on X.com on Wednesday when Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, posted a tweet containing just the URL, chat.com. The announcement prompted immediate speculation from X.com users about whether OpenAI was going to drop the "GPT" part of the name altogether. The chat.com domain was previously owned by Dharmesh Shah, the founder and CTO of HubSpot, who claimed in a LinkedIn post to have paid $10 million for it in 2023, but had sold it a couple of months later for "more than I paid for it". At the time he said, "I'm not at liberty to disclose details on who the purchaser was or the price paid. Sorry." It's easy to forget how new the generative AI field is. As with any emerging field of technology, brand names tend to come and go quite quickly. Google started by calling its AI Bard, but this was dropped in favor of Gemini. Recently there has been speculation that Microsoft is not happy with its Copilot AI name, and is considering "Windows Intelligence". The move would be perhaps seen as a little too close to what Apple is doing with Apple Intelligence. The GPT part of ChatGPT stands for Generative Pre-training Transformer and refers to the type of large language model (LLM) that uses the transformer architecture but is hardly a brilliant brand name. The URL chat.com is much more memorable, and as Sharmesh Shah said when he originally purchased the URL "chat.com is absolutely brilliant in terms of simplicity, shortness and being totally *on point* and meeting the moment. It immediately creates user trust. Somebody (not me) will build a massively successful product/company on it." OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT, recently launched the equally cumbersomely-named AI search engine, ChatGPT search, despite owning the much more catchy URL, SearchGPT. In September the company announced that it would be releasing a new series of LLMs starting with "o1", which recently saw the light of day, just for a few short hours, by mistake.

OpenAI Acquires Dharmesh Shah's $15.5M Domain Chat.com: What's Behind The Move? - Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)

ChatGPT-parent OpenAI, under the leadership of Sam Altman, has taken over the domain chat.com, which was previously under the ownership of HubSpot's founder and CTO, Dharmesh Shah. What Happened: On Wednesday, Altman posted a cryptic post on X, formerly Twitter, using the words, "chat.com," only. The URL now redirects to ChatGPT. Following Altman's post, Shah also took to X and confirmed the purchase, indicating that he might have received OpenAI shares in exchange for the domain. See Also: Google Delivers New AI Features To Maps, Google Earth, Waze Apps Shah had initially bought the domain for $15.5 million in early 2023 but sold it a few months later for an undisclosed amount, which he confirmed was higher than the purchase price. Shah's initial purchase of chat.com was driven by his belief in the potential of Chat-based UX, facilitated by Generative AI. Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox. Why It Matters: OpenAI's acquisition of chat.com follows its recent transition from a nonprofit to a for-profit model, a move that sparked a financial and governance tug-of-war with Microsoft Corporation MSFT. The ChatGPT parent has been on a financial upswing, with its valuation soaring to $157 billion in its latest funding round. Previously, it was reported that the AI startup intends to more than double the price of its flagship product, ChatGPT, over the next five years. Last month, OpenAI rolled out ChatGPT Search, a feature that allows the AI to crawl the web for up-to-date news, sports scores, stock quotes, and more. Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link. Read Next: Trump Vs. Harris: Apple Transforms Dynamic Island To Bring Election Results At Your Fingertips On iPhone Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Meet the India origin techie who bought 'chat.com' and sold it to ChatGPT

Dharmesh Shah, the Indian-origin co-founder and CTO of HubSpot, sold the domain name chat.com to OpenAI for over $15 million. Shah had initially purchased the domain in early 2023, believing that chat-based user experiences powered by generative AI would be the future. After reselling the domain, Shah hinted that OpenAI paid him in shares rather than cash. The acquisition of chat.com aligns with OpenAI's rebranding efforts, marking a strategic move in the AI industry. Dharmesh Shah, the Indian-origin entrepreneur and HubSpot co-founder, recently made headlines after selling the coveted domain name, chat.com, to OpenAI for a sum reportedly exceeding $15 million. The sale of this premium URL marks a significant moment in the tech world, as OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman confirmed that the domain now redirects to ChatGPT, the company's flagship product. Shah, who is widely recognized for his role as the CTO of HubSpot, initially purchased chat.com in early 2023 for $15.5 million. In a bold move, he quickly resold the domain a few months later without disclosing the buyer's identity or the final sale price. However, he did mention that he sold the domain for more than what he paid for it, making it one of his most lucrative deals in the domain trading space. In a post on LinkedIn when he first bought the domain, Shah explained the reasoning behind the purchase. "I believe Chat-based UX (#ChatUX) is the next big thing in software. Communicating with computers and software through natural language is far more intuitive, thanks to generative AI," he wrote. Shah saw immense potential in the domain, which was short, memorable, and perfectly aligned with the future of AI-driven communication. Following the sale, Shah shared on X (formerly Twitter) that OpenAI was the buyer, and he hinted that the payment might have been made in the form of shares rather than cash. "I have known Sam Altman for over a decade, long before OpenAI even existed," Shah remarked. "I don't like profiting off people I consider friends, and I've always wanted to own OpenAI shares." Shah's sentiments indicate a deep connection to the company and its mission, which aligns with his vision of the future of technology. "Chat.com is a brilliant domain that will inspire someone (not me) to build a massively successful product or company," he added. The acquisition of chat.com is part of OpenAI's broader strategy to rebrand itself and make its products more accessible to a global audience. The move away from the "GPT" in the domain name comes on the heels of OpenAI's announcement of its new series of reasoning models, starting with "o1." Former chief research officer Bob McGrew explained that these new names were intended to be "more sane" and better communicate the company's evolving focus. The sale also highlights the growing importance of "vanity domains" in the tech industry. Similar to other high-profile domain transactions, such as AI startup Friend's $1.8 million purchase of friend.com, this deal underscores the value placed on short, memorable, and marketable domain names. While OpenAI's recent funding round of $6.6 billion means that spending over $10 million on a domain is a relatively small investment, the strategic acquisition of chat.com shows the company's commitment to creating a seamless user experience.