OpenAI has acquired Chat.com, one of the internet’s earliest and most valuable domains, originally registered in 1996. As of today, visitors to Chat.com are redirected to ChatGPT, OpenAI’s flagship AI chatbot.

The acquisition was subtly teased by CEO Sam Altman in a brief post on X and later confirmed by an OpenAI spokesperson, though the purchase price remains undisclosed. Notably, Dharmesh Shah, HubSpot’s co-founder and previous owner of the domain, had purchased it in 2023 for $15.5 million, making it one of the most expensive domain sales ever. Shah confirmed OpenAI as the buyer and suggested he received OpenAI shares as part of the deal.

While the domain now redirects to ChatGPT, there are no signs of a standalone brand being built around Chat.com. Instead, the move appears to be a strategic effort to expand access points and strengthen brand recognition for ChatGPT.

This acquisition highlights OpenAI’s intent to cement its position in the AI space by leveraging premium digital real estate, reinforcing its push to make AI tools more accessible and visible to a global audience.