Crypto.com has made a high-profile move at the intersection of artificial intelligence, branding, and digital assets, with founder Kris Marszalek acquiring the AI.com domain for $70 million. According to the Financial Times, the transaction marks the most expensive domain name purchase ever recorded and was completed entirely in cryptocurrency. The seller has not been publicly identified.
The timing of the acquisition aligns with Crypto.com’s plans to unveil a new Super Bowl advertisement, where Marszalek is expected to introduce AI.com to a global audience. The site is intended to offer consumers access to a personal AI agent designed for messaging, app interaction, and stock trading, signaling an expansion of the company’s ambitions beyond its crypto roots.
Marszalek framed the investment as a long-term bet on artificial intelligence and its transformational potential. “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 deal resets the benchmark for domain name valuations, surpassing a series of high-profile transactions over the past two decades. CarInsurance.com previously held the record after selling for $49.7 million in 2010, followed by VacationRentals.com at $35 million in 2007 and Voice.com, which sold for $30 million in 2019. Other notable sales include PrivateJet.com for $30 million and 360.com for $17 million which has changed hands twice for more than $13 million each time, despite one owner later filing for bankruptcy while attempting to monetize the asset.
The sale of AI.com was brokered by Larry Fischer, who emphasized the scarcity and strategic value of such digital assets. “With assets like AI.com, there are no substitutes,” Fischer told the Financial Times. “When one becomes available, the opportunity may never present itself again.”
While the effectiveness of ultra-premium domain purchases as long-term investments remains debated, Marszalek has shown a consistent willingness to make large, brand-defining bets. In addition to owning Crypto.com, he previously committed $700 million to secure stadium naming rights, underscoring his belief in the power of category-defining assets.
Whether AI.com ultimately delivers commensurate commercial returns remains to be seen, but the acquisition cements Crypto.com’s presence in the rapidly converging worlds of artificial intelligence, finance, and mass-market branding at a moment of maximum global attention.
