On Wednesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made waves by sharing a simple URL on X (formerly Twitter): chat.com. Clicking the link takes users directly to ChatGPT, marking a notable shift in OpenAI’s branding strategy.
Previously, chat.com belonged to Dharmesh Shah, HubSpot’s founder and CTO, who purchased the domain in early 2023 for a reported $15.5 million. However, just a few months later, Shah announced he had sold the domain for a profit, though he didn’t disclose the buyer or the exact terms. In a LinkedIn post at the time, Shah noted his belief in the potential of conversational interfaces: “I think Chat-based UX (#ChatUX) is the next big thing in software. Communicating with computers through natural language is much more intuitive and is now possible thanks to Generative AI.”
BREAKING NEWS: Secret acquirer of $15+ million domain chat .com revealed and it's exactly who you'd think.
— dharmesh (@dharmesh) November 6, 2024
For those of you that have been following me for a while, you may recall that I announced earlier this year that I had acquired the domain chat .com for an "8 figure sum"… https://t.co/nv1IyddP5z
Following the initial news, Shah confirmed via X that OpenAI had acquired the domain and hinted that the company may have paid in stock rather than cash.
The move to “chat.com” aligns with OpenAI’s ongoing rebranding efforts. In September, the company unveiled a new naming approach with a reasoning model series called “o1.” Former Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew shared that this shift was intended to simplify and better communicate OpenAI’s technology.
The premium domain acquisition comes amidst a wave of companies investing in “vanity” domains. Recently, Friend, an AI startup, spent $1.8 million on friend.com. With a recent funding round of $6.6 billion, OpenAI’s potential outlay of over $10 million — either in cash or equity — for chat.com appears to be a strategic investment in making ChatGPT more accessible and brand-friendly.
