Meet the India origin techie who bought 'chat.com' and sold it to ChatGPT
ChatGPT, the company's flagship product.
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A Strategic Purchase: Why Shah Bought Chat.com
Shah, who is widely recognized for his role as the CTO of HubSpot, initially purchased chat.com in early 2023 for $15.5 million. In a bold move, he quickly resold the domain a few months later without disclosing the buyer's identity or the final sale price. However, he did mention that he sold the domain for more than what he paid for it, making it one of his most lucrative deals in the domain trading space.
In a post on LinkedIn when he first bought the domain, Shah explained the reasoning behind the purchase. «I believe Chat-based UX (#ChatUX) is the next big thing in software. Communicating with computers and software through natural language is far more intuitive, thanks to generative AI,» he wrote. Shah saw immense potential in the domain, which was short, memorable, and perfectly aligned with the future of AI-driven communication.
The Payment: Cash or Shares?
Following the sale, Shah shared on X (formerly Twitter) that OpenAI was the buyer, and he hinted that the payment might have been made in the form of shares rather than cash. «I have known Sam Altman for over a decade, long before OpenAI even existed,» Shah remarked. «I don’t like profiting off people I consider friends, and I’ve always wanted to own OpenAI shares.»
Shah’s sentiments indicate a deep
