Malaysian entrepreneur buys AI.com for Rs 300 in 1993, sells domain for Rs 634 crore to Crypto.com CEO

Malaysian tech entrepreneur Arsyan Ismail has sold the premium web domain AI.com for $70 million (about ₹634 crore) in April 2025, marking one of the biggest publicly disclosed domain-name deals in internet history.

According to Malay Mail, Ismail originally bought the domain in 1993 for $100 (about ₹300 at the time) when he was just 10 years old, using his mother’s credit card.

 He later said the purchase had nothing to do with artificial intelligence and that the letters “AI” simply matched his initials.

At the time, his mother reportedly did not understand what a domain name was and was confused by the charge on her credit card statement.

Crypto.com CEO buys AI.com, plans AI platform

The buyer is Kris Marszalek, co-founder and CEO of Crypto.com, who acquired AI.com in April 2025 through broker Larry Fischer, according to Fintech News Malaysia. The transaction was paid entirely in cryptocurrency.

The deal is the highest publicly disclosed price for a domain name to date, surpassing the $49.7 million (about ₹450 crore) paid for CarInsurance.com in 2010.

Marszalek plans to launch a consumer artificial intelligence platform under the AI.com brand, which is expected to debut during a Super Bowl LX commercial. 

The platform will offer personal AI agents to help users with tasks such as sending messages, managing applications and trading stocks.

Explaining the high acquisition cost, Marszalek said, “There is a big desire for us to own this touchpoint, otherwise you get commoditised.”

The service will encrypt user data with individual keys to address privacy concerns. Marszalek has reportedly received offers to resell the domain but plans to retain ownership to build long-term trust and awareness in the competitive AI market.

Arsyan Ismail’s tech journey

As per Arsyan’s LinkedIn profile, he worked as a Senior Programmer at Nuffnang (2005–2006), a Software Engineer at Packet One Networks (2006–2008) and later as a Senior Web Developer at Friendster (2008–2010).

He then joined YTL Communications as an Application Developer (2010–2012). His profile also lists him as working independently with OpenAI since January 2025.

His education, includes a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Nottingham (2003–2006). He completed his A-Levels at Kolej Yayasan UEM (2000–2002) and studied Mathematics and Computer Science at Kolej Yayasan Saad Melaka (1995–2000).