Crypto.com founder buys AI.com for $70 million in cryptocurrency to use for a Super Bowl ad featuring an AI assistant for messages and trading.
Los Angeles: Crypto.com founder Kris Marszalek bought the website name AI.com for $70 million. He plans to show it in a Super Bowl ad. The ad will show people how to use a personal AI helper for messages, apps, and stock trading.
Marszalek paid all in cryptocurrency to someone he did not name. He already owns Crypto.com and spent $700 million to name a stadium. He says AI will be one of the biggest tech changes in 20 years. The AI.com price is higher than any other website ever sold.
Big website sales before this one include CarInsurance.com for $49.7 million in 2010. VacationRentals.com sold for $35 million in 2007. Voice.com was $30 million in 2019. Sex.com also sold twice for more than $13 million each time, though one owner lost all their money.
The crypto industry is known for big spending. Some people wonder if paying so much for website names is smart. But Marszalek says owning two top website names is worth the money to him. Larry Fischer, who helped sell AI.com, says chances like this do not come often. Whether these big purchases pay back the money is still unclear.