Arysan Ismail, a Malaysian entrepreneur, sold the domain AI.com to Crypto.com for about $70 million. According to viral posts, the domain was bought in 1993 by a ten‑year‑old using his mother’s credit card, but that account does not match documented facts.
The 1993 timing and local infrastructure make the viral story unlikely. Malaysia had limited internet access then, and commercial dial‑up service began in 1995 (Ed. note: credit‑card CVV security codes were introduced in 1997).
Early domain registrations were generally free if the registrant could host a site, and many early names later lapsed. Advanced Instruments Corporation acquired AI.com in 1996, according to archived records at the Wayback Machine, and ownership later moved to Future Media Architects.
Ismail actually purchased AI.com in 2021 from a previous owner and later sold it to Crypto.com for about $70 million, as reported. In that report, Kris Marszalek said, “Last year, an opportunity came up for me to acquire this domain, and I thought if you take a long-term view — 10 to 20 years — that [AI] is going to be one of the greatest technological waves of our lifetime. And so it would be a good investment,” and broker Larry Fischer later posted the seller’s name on LinkedIn.
