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.

Read the full story
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Donate to the Journalism Fund

Your support powers our independent journalism. Unlike most business-media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational contributions.

Trending

This indie site helps Philly riders fight back against SEPTA service cuts

State-run immigrant support offices are stuck in limbo across the mid-Atlantic

Sandbox VR opens its Philly location to bring together gamers IRL 

Working in libraries gave this leader a roadmap for tackling digital inequity

Technically Media