OpenAI Acquires Chat.com

OpenAI had recently acquired the Chat.com domain, the end-result of which is redirected to the famous AI chatbot, ChatGPT. This is the latest in a fast-growing series of high-profile domain names that OpenAI has been holding. Confirmed by an OpenAI spokesperson in emails earlier today, the acquisition stands as one of the latest steps taken by the firm.

One of the older domain names on the internet, chat.com, was actually registered in September 1996. Its sale last year to Dharmesh Shah, one of the co-founders and CTOs at HubSpot, really garnered a lot of attention given it was priced at $15.5 million-one of the highest publicly reported domain sales at the time. In a March 2024 blog post, Shah wrote that he’d sold Chat.com to an unnamed buyer.

For example, while the site now forwards to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, it does not appear OpenAI is using the same site as a platform for their current chatbot, as the site only apparently forwards to the service already available on other addresses. This makes it more of an addition to add to the portfolio rather than an indicator of the company changing their brand.

OpenAI did not disclose the exact amount it paid for Chat.com. However, acquisition of this prominent and pricey domain may further strengthen the footprint of OpenAI in the technology world while it continues to advance its business lines involving artificial intelligence. according to techcrunch