Software Development

This Penn professor owns a domain name worth millions. Here’s why he won’t sell

Penn prof Matt Blaze has owned Crypto.com since 1993. It's not about cryptocurrency.

Professor Matt Blaze speaks at a 2017 conference. (Screenshot via YouTube)

A University of Pennsylvania professor by the name of Matt Blaze is sitting on a gold mine.

See, the domain name that leads to his personal website, Crypto.com, stands to rake in millions were he to put it up for sale. But he won’t, as he’s said time and time again on his Twitter profile:

On Tuesday, The Verge ran a story on Blaze’s quest against the dozens of cryptoheads looking to take the website off his hands. Domain sellers estimate Crypto.com would pull in up to $10 million.

To be clear, Blaze’s site is not about cryptocurrencies but about cryptography, a field he’s been involved with for decades. As you might imagine, the fact that “crypto” is now immediately associated with cryptocurrencies has him a bit peeved. Just look at the disclosure found on his website:

This site does not trade in or provide services related to cryptocurrencies. It is concerned with cryptography, computer and network security, and technology policy research. Warning: Many cryptocurrencies are scams, and I strongly advise against their use as investment vehicles.

We reached out to Blaze for more insight, but likely his inbox will be a little cramped for the foreseeable future.

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