Google's 2015 Domain Ownership Mishap

In a surprising event in 2015, Google, a major tech company, briefly lost control of its domain, Google.com. CNN reported that Sanmay Ved, a former Google employee, unexpectedly purchased the domain for just $12 while browsing Google's domain service platform late at night. On LinkedIn, Ved recounted the shocking incident and explained how he happened across the availability of 'Google.com' at approximately 1:20 a.m. Eastern Time. While casually exploring Google Domains, he entered the name into the search bar and was surprised to see it listed as available for purchase, which made sense given its high-profile status. He was surprised when the option to add the domain to his cart appeared, which is only an everyday occurrence when a domain is for sale. Ved is eager to observe the progress of the process. He added the domain to his cart by clicking 'add to cart' and then proceeded to checkout.

"I was hoping I would get an error saying the transaction didn’t go through," Ved recalled, "but I was able to complete the purchase, and my credit card was actually charged!"

Ved had complete authority over Google.com for a brief period. He was granted access to Google Webmaster Tools, along with notifications and emails confirming his ownership. He proved the unbelievable situation by taking screenshots of the transaction, credit card charges, and emails he received. Ved immediately reported the issue to Google Security, recognizing the importance of the situation. According to his post, "Google has reverted, has acknowledged the incident, and is investigating."