OpenAI Buys Chat.com, Redirected to ChatGPT

<p>OpenAI has acquired Chat&period;com&comma; a domain name previously purchased for &dollar;15&period;5 million by HubSpot’s co-founder Dharmesh Shah&period; Initially registered in 1996&comma; the domain saw significant investment due to its prime fit with the rapidly growing AI chatbot sector&comma; especially as tools like ChatGPT gain mainstream attention&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Although the transaction cost remains undisclosed&comma; OpenAI’s Sam Altman confirmed the acquisition&comma; redirecting Chat&period;com to its widely used AI service&comma; ChatGPT&period; The acquisition reflects the broader trend of AI firms capitalizing on brand assets to solidify their position in a highly competitive and rapidly expanding industry&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Shah&comma; who disclosed his longstanding professional relationship with OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman&comma; hinted that the sale may have been made partly in OpenAI shares rather than a full cash transaction&comma; though details remain private&period; This acquisition mirrors OpenAI’s prior purchase of AI&period;com&comma; emphasizing its trend of acquiring high-value domains to enhance user reach and brand equity&period; Altman’s <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;x&period;com&sol;sama&sol;status&sol;1854238332534108188&quest;s&equals;46">cryptic announcement<&sol;a> of the deal via X &lpar;formerly Twitter&rpar; with a simple &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Chat&period;com” highlighted the minimalistic approach that tech titans often adopt when communicating major moves&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>This purchase aligns with OpenAI’s broader strategy of leveraging branding assets to secure its position in a competitive AI landscape&comma; following a &dollar;6&period;6 billion funding round in October that valued the company at &dollar;157 billion&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;