Malaysian man bought AI.com domain in 1993 for Rs 300, sells it for Rs 634 crore to ‘Crypto’ firm

AI.com officially re‑launched during Super Bowl LX, where Crypto.com unveiled a new platform for “agentic AI” — personal AI agents that can send messages, trade stocks, and perform tasks across apps. (AI-generated image)

A Malaysian tech entrepreneur has completed one of the biggest publicly disclosed domain sales in internet history after selling AI.com — a domain he bought in 1993 as a 10‑year‑old for just $100 (about Rs 300 at the time) — for $70 million (about Rs 634 crore) to Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek.

Arsyan Ismail acquired the AI.com domain in 1993 using his mother’s credit card, choosing the name not because he predicted the rise of artificial intelligence, but simply because the letters matched his initials, Malaysian publications reported.

The 1993 purchase — long before most Malaysians even accessed the internet—went largely unnoticed for decades. But with the AI boom, AI.com became one of the world’s most sought‑after pieces of digital real estate. Two‑letter domains are extremely rare, and AI.com sits at the top of that category.

Largest publicly disclosed domain deal to date

The domain was sold in April 2025 to Marszalek in a transaction paid entirely in cryptocurrency. Multiple reports confirm the $70 million figure, making it the most expensive publicly reported domain name sale ever, surpassing the $49.7 million paid for CarInsurance.com in 2010, Fintech Malaysia reported.

AI.com officially re‑launched during Super Bowl LX, where Crypto.com unveiled a new platform for “agentic AI” — personal AI agents that can send messages, trade stocks, and perform tasks across apps.

Marszalek said owning such a category‑defining domain was essential to avoid being “commoditised” in the AI race.

Entrepreneur active in tech scene but keeps low profile

Though largely low‑profile, Arsyan Ismail has long been active in Malaysia’s tech scene — from early social networking projects to roles at Nuffnang and Friendster, and later as the founder of 1337 Tech. He has also been an early adopter of Bitcoin and digital assets.

He reportedly received offers as high as $100 million when the domain was listed in 2025, but eventually finalised the US$70 million deal, advising others not to “over‑negotiate with a billionaire.”