Crypto.com places $70M bet on AI.com domain ahead of Super Bowl

Just in time for a new Super Bowl advertisement, Crypto.com founder Kris Marszalek has completed what is now the most expensive domain acquisition on record, purchasing AI.com for $70 million, according to the Financial Times. The transaction, which was paid entirely in cryptocurrency to an undisclosed seller, surpasses all previous domain sale records. (The broker who handled the deal, Larry Fischer, is likely enjoying a well-earned moment of celebration.)

Marszalek plans to unveil the new site during Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast, positioning it as a gateway to a personal AI agent designed for messaging, app interactions, and stock trading. “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,” he told the Financial Times.

The acquisition dramatically reshuffles the rankings of high-priced domain sales — though lavish spending is hardly unusual within the crypto sector. Until now, CarInsurance.com held the top spot after selling for $49.7 million in 2010. That was followed by VacationRentals.com, which sold for $35 million in 2007, and Voice.com, acquired for $30 million in 2019. Other notable transactions include PrivateJet.com at $30 million, 360.com at $17 million, and Sex.com, which has changed hands twice for more than $13 million each time, although its second owner ultimately filed for bankruptcy while attempting to commercialise it.

“With assets like AI.com, there are no substitutes,” Fischer said in comments to the Financial Times. “When one becomes available, the opportunity may never present itself again.”

Whether these ultra-expensive domains ultimately generate meaningful returns remains an open question. But for Marszalek — who already controls Crypto.com and previously spent $700 million on stadium naming rights — owning two defining, category-level domains appears to justify the price.