The purchase of chat.com is in line with OpenAI's recent rebranding efforts, including the drop of "GPT" from the domain name. However, the company is not hosting ChatGPT on chat.com, indicating that this does not represent an official name change. The acquisition of the domain, while significant, represents a small investment for OpenAI, which recently raised $6.6 billion.
Key takeaways:
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has posted a URL, chat.com, which routes to OpenAI's chatbot, ChatGPT. The domain was previously owned by Dharmesh Shah, founder and CTO of HubSpot.
- Shah bought the chat.com domain for $10 million in early 2023, but sold it a few months later for more than he paid. The domain reportedly sold for $15.5 million on March 28, 2023.
- OpenAI has confirmed it acquired the domain, aligning with its recent rebranding efforts. However, the company is not hosting ChatGPT on chat.com, indicating it's not an official name change.
- The purchase of high-value domains is a common practice among tech companies. For instance, AI startup Friend spent $1.8 million on the domain friend.com after raising $2.5 million in funding.