Google.com: Man Who Owned Google.com: This happened in 2015, when Sanmay Ved — a former Google employee from Mandvi, Gujarat — had a nail-biting experience in which he briefly owned the domain Google.com. While browsing Google Domains, he noticed that the domain name was available for purchase. Without wasting any time, he quickly selected ‘Google.com’ and proceeded with the purchase.
This happened when he was exploring the platform around 1:20 AM Eastern Time on September 29 in 2015. In just a few clicks, he was able to select, pay, and process his application for one of the most sought-after domain names in the world. He paid only $12 (approximately ₹800 at the time) through Google’s domain registration platform. To his surprise, he even received an email confirming his temporary ownership of Google.com. However, Ved held ownership of Google.com for just one minute.
What Happened Next?
Sanmay Ved, a former Google employee, noticed that his Google Search Console updated with webmaster messages for the domain, confirming that he had indeed completed the purchase. “I was hoping I would get an error at some point saying the transaction didn’t go through, but I was able to complete the purchase, and my credit card was actually charged,” Ved wrote in a 2015 LinkedIn post. A few days later, Google’s security team contacted him and offered a $6,006 reward for uncovering the security loophole.
According to reports the tech giant later decided to double the reward when they learned that Ved was donating the money to Art of Living India Foundation. This charitable organisation provides free education to more than 39,200 children and manages 404 free schools across India. Ved said, ”I don’t care about the money. It was never about the money.” He believes that ”schools nurture the complete child, including body, mind, and spirit.”
“You may have read about Sanmay Ved, a researcher who was able to buy Google.com for one minute on Google Domains. Our initial financial reward to Sanmay – $6,006.13 – spelled-out Google, numerically (squint a little and you’ll see it!). We then doubled this amount when Sanmay donated his reward to charity,” Google said in a blog post.
Google’s Security Reward Program
Google shared that researchers from across the globe — including countries like Great Britain, Poland, Germany, Romania, Israel, Brazil, the US, China, Russia, and India — took part in its security rewards program, bringing together a truly global team of tech minds.
In 2015, the company was estimated to have awarded $2 million in rewards to over 300 individuals. Since its launch in 2010, the program has distributed more than $6 million in total rewards.
