OpenAI buys Chat.com to catch on the AI buzz

OpenAI has made a strategic acquisition, taking over Chat.com, a prominent domain first registered in 1996. Now, visitors to Chat.com are seamlessly directed to ChatGPT, OpenAI’s widely used AI chatbot.

The announcement came with a subtle tweet from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, simply saying “Chat.com,” sparking intrigue and speculation. Although the company hasn’t disclosed the acquisition price, an OpenAI representative confirmed the purchase in an email to a tech news outlet.

Chat.com is highly valued as a well-established, recognizable name in the digital world, especially with "Chat" being a coveted keyword in tech. Just last year, Dharmesh Shah, co-founder and CTO of HubSpot, acquired Chat.com for a reported $15.5 million, making it one of the highest publicly recorded domain sales.

In March, Shah hinted he’d sold the domain to an anonymous buyer, sparking curiosity. On November 7, he revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that OpenAI is the new owner. Shah suggested he may have received OpenAI shares as part of the deal, though further details remain undisclosed.

The integration of Chat.com with ChatGPT doesn’t signal a rebranding for OpenAI; instead, it appears to be a strategic move to widen ChatGPT’s reach rather than create a new brand under Chat.com. This acquisition emphasizes OpenAI’s dedication to enhancing user access to AI-powered tools and strengthens its brand presence in the digital landscape.

While OpenAI has kept further details of the acquisition private, industry watchers are closely following developments to see how this high-profile domain might influence AI accessibility and user engagement in the future.