Thoughts

Andrew Miller

May 28, 2023

The Chat.com Transaction: Speculation, Reality, and Ecosystem Health

I wanted to elaborate more on the resale of Chat.com. We at Hilco Digital Assets & Larry Fischer oversaw the initial sale just two short months ago, in what was the most significant domain transaction in our 25 years. I am not surprised Dharmesh sold it. He was very clear in his initial post that he might, and if he did, he would make a large donation to Khan. There is so much speculation going around on the price and buyer. It’s fun to theorize, but the reality is, more often than not, these are wildly inaccurate.

I’ve seen this with so many of my deals over the years, and a vast majority of it is uninformed and off-base. I respect Dharmesh immensely, but it also fuels this when he posts “$10m+.” What is +? That is a target for a lot of wrong information. Is + $5m more? $10m? Of course, I know what + means (a lot), but does it matter? There are so many reasons why someone like him would sell this, and it’s not always “to the highest offer or purely to make a cash flip.” The speculation is often wrong and self-serving to people who believe it will magically move the needle of value on their own domains. It won’t. With that said, it is great for the ecosystem when an asset resells. It’s healthy for domain assets to “climb the ladder.”

A Namescon Discussion to Remember

Speaking of Chatcom, I am so excited for our discussion at Namescon. It is not often that we can openly talk about two of the largest domain transactions of all time, and to do so with one of my best buddies, David Laz, who will share a lot on his company Fairway’s acquisition of Homecom via me and Larry. It is rare to have the management of an acquirer willing to speak so openly.

Considering an Interactive Live Stream

I am considering an interactive live stream/podcast that brings on viewers to ask me (and guests) anything, using tech that makes this process very smooth. Would this be of interest? (Comment below if so).

Celebrating a Year at Hilco Digital Assets

This week is the 1-year anniversary of Hilco Digital Assets. Time flies when you are having fun. My partners at HDA are hardworking, smart, and Hilco Global is a great company. We have overseen over $40m in premium domain name deals, acquired or entered into joint ventures on some of the most valuable domain name assets, and made a big bet on the future of branding and domains with our Series A investment in Squadhelp. We have built an amazing team and will be adding some new great people. We are just getting going, and are so excited about future investments to be announced soon, as we work to propel digital assets and domain names to the next level.

All articles