OpenAI's purchase of Chat.com is a smart move

• OpenAI has acquired the chat.com URL, which now redirects to ChatGPT.
• HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah previously owned the domain and paid over $10 million.
• Analysts say the move strengthens OpenAI's global reach and positioning in consumer products.

OpenAI's rapid acquisition of a four-letter domain name was a smart strategic move, branding experts told Business Insider.

On Wednesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted “chat.com” on social media, a URL that now automatically redirects to ChatGPT’s website.

The domain was previously owned by HubSpot founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah, who confirmed that he sold the domain to OpenAI after purchasing it in 2023.

Although Shah didn't reveal the exact selling price, he previously said he sold it “for more than I paid.” In his post on Wednesday, he indicated that he received shares in OpenAI through the transaction.

OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Could OpenAI try to make “Chat” the new “Google it”?

The latest addition to OpenAI's domain collection, which also includes “chatGPT.com” and possibly “ai.com,” suggests a brand shift toward a broader consumer audience, brand experts told BI.

Margarita Polishchuk, Head of Strategy at claya UI/UX design and branding agency with clients including Amazon and Google, said OpenAI “secures and strengthens its position” with its new simpler – and therefore stronger – domain name.

“It’s very memorable and very to the point,” she told BI. “Strategically, I think buying a domain like this represents a shift towards a very global audience for ChatGPT and OpenAI.”

While Google's Gemini and Microsoft's Copilot also stick with one-word nicknames, DA Davidson analyst Gil Luria said the domain is the “most intuitive name” for how consumers think about chatbots.

“I think the clue we could take from this is that maybe they want it produce their chat as a consumer product,” he said. The new domain “could be a very important contribution to consumer acceptance of a particular technology,” he added.

The new URL could also be the more practical result of a common language error. Nicole Ferry, chief strategy officer at brand engagement firm Sullivan NYC, said she often notices people changing the letters from ChatGPT to “GTP.”

“'ChatGTP' actually redirects to NinjaChat AI, which is obviously not OpenAI's product,” she said. “So Chat.com is also just an easier URL to use in a call to action.”

She also added that the company's decision to focus on “Chat” instead of “GPT” makes the product more accessible.

“That sounds easy,” she said. “I can do that. I chat on my phone with my friends or in DMS or whatever. It feels like something I can already do, as opposed to something I have to learn.”

While “chat” has been part of the English lexicon to denote a human interaction, Polishchuk said this marks the start of a “major technological shift” in the way people might perceive the term.

“Now any user who isn’t really tech-savvy enters chat.com into the world of LLM and AI,” she said.

While people might not quite say, “Go ChatGPT it,” Polishchuk said that purchasing a domain with just the word “chat” could lead to AI becoming as ubiquitous as “Googling.”