Just in time to create a new Super Bowl ad, Crypto.com founder Chris Marszalek has purchased the most expensive domain in history, AI.com for $70 million. According to Financial Times. The deal, paid entirely in cryptocurrency to an unnamed seller, shatters previous records. (Broker Larry Fisher, who facilitated the sale, is likely celebrating his good fortune.)
Marszalek plans to launch the site during Sunday’s big game, offering consumers a personal AI agent for messaging, app use and stock trading. “If you take a long-term view – 10 to 20 years – [AI] This is going to be one of the biggest tech waves of our lifetime,” he told the FT.
This purchase rewrites the domain record books – not that the crypto industry itself is known for restraint in terms of spending. Previously, CarInsurance.com held the crown at $49.7 million (2010), followed by VacationRentals.com ($35 million in 2007) and Voice.com ($30 million in 2019). Other lucrative sales include PrivateJet.com ($30 million), 360.com ($17 million), and Sex.com, which sold twice for more than $13 million, although it has other owners went bankrupt Efforts are being made to monetize it.
“With properties like AI.com, there is no alternative,” Fisher told the FT. “When one becomes available, the opportunity may never present again.”
Whether these mega-dollar domains actually deliver returns remains an open question. But for Marszalek, who already owns Crypto.com and has lost $700 million on stadium naming rights, owning two category-defining domains is clearly worth the outlay.
