Crypto.com founder Kris Marszalek acquired the AI.com domain for $70 million in what broker Larry Fischer confirmed as the largest domain purchase on record, with the transaction completed entirely in cryptocurrency ahead of a Super Bowl advertisement debut planned for Sunday.
What Happened: Record Domain Purchase
Marszalek closed the deal with an undisclosed seller just days before Sunday's Super Bowl, where he plans to launch a consumer-facing AI platform offering personal agents for messaging, application management, and stock trading functionality.
The $70 million payment surpassed the previous record held by CarInsurance.com, which sold for $49.7 million in 2010.
The domain will support an AI service targeting mainstream users. "If you take a long-term view — 10 to 20 years – [AI] is going to be one of the greatest technological waves of our lifetime," Marszalek said.
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Why It Matters: Strategic Positioning
Fischer, who facilitated the sale, characterized premium domain acquisitions as once-in-a-generation opportunities. "With assets like AI.com, there are no substitutes," he told the Financial Times. "When one becomes available, the opportunity may never present itself again."
Other high-value domain transactions include VacationRentals.com at $35 million in 2007, Voice.com at $30 million in 2019, and PrivateJet.com at $30 million.
Sex.com has sold twice for over $13 million each time, though its second owner filed for bankruptcy attempting to monetize the asset. Marszalek previously spent $700 million on stadium naming rights for the venue hosting Sunday's game.
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