Malaysian Entrepreneur sells AI.com for $70 million to Crypto firm, which he bought for $100 as a 10-year-old in 1993

In one of the largest publicly disclosed domain sales in internet history, Malaysian tech entrepreneur Arsyan Ismail has sold AI.com for a staggering $70 million (approximately Rs 634 crore), more than three decades after purchasing it for just $100 (about Rs 300 at the time).

Entrepreneurial brain of a 10-year-old

Ismail acquired the coveted domain in 1993 when he was only 10 years old, using his mother’s credit card. Contrary to what many might assume, the purchase was not a visionary bet on artificial intelligence. Instead, he chose “AI” simply because the letters matched his initials, according to Malaysian media reports. At the time, internet access in Malaysia was rare, and the acquisition went largely unnoticed.

Fast forward to the 2020s, and the explosive rise of artificial intelligence transformed AI.com into one of the most sought-after digital assets in the world. Two-letter domains are exceptionally scarce, and AI.com sits at the pinnacle of that elite category. As the AI industry surged, so did the domain’s value, turning a childhood purchase into a historic windfall.

The domain was sold in April 2025 to Kris Marszalek, CEO of Crypto.com, in a deal paid entirely in cryptocurrency. Multiple reports have confirmed the $70 million price tag, making it the most expensive publicly reported domain sale ever, surpassing the previous record of $49.7 million paid for CarInsurance.com in 2010.

AI.com officially re-launched during Super Bowl LX, where Crypto.com unveiled its new “agentic AI” platform, a system of personal AI agents designed to send messages, trade stocks, and perform tasks across applications. Marszalek described owning such a category-defining domain as crucial to avoiding being “commoditised” in the intensifying AI race.

Though he has maintained a relatively low profile, Ismail has long been active in Malaysia’s tech ecosystem, contributing to early social networking ventures, holding roles at Nuffnang and Friendster, and later founding 1337 Tech. An early adopter of Bitcoin and digital assets, he reportedly received offers as high as $100 million but ultimately closed the $70 million deal, later advising others not to “over-negotiate with a billionaire.”

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