The day someone bought google.com for $12
Originally posted on LinkedIn, December 9, 2024.
Found a bug in production? This story may make you feel better.
In 2015, former Google employee Sanmay Ved managed to buy google.com for just $12. Google had failed to renew the domain registration, which temporarily gave Ved access to the site's administrative settings.
Google moved quickly, canceled the transaction, and regained control of the domain. The company then paid Ved $6,006.13, an amount chosen because it visually resembles the word “Google.”
Ved announced that he would donate the money to charity. Google responded by doubling his donation.
Even the largest technology companies make human errors, and those errors can be expensive.
