In a story that sounds more like a tech urban legend, Sanmay Ved, a former Google employee, became the guy who bought Google.com—one of the internet’s most valuable domains—for just $12.
The $12 Mistake
On September 29, 2015, Ved was browsing Google Domains when he noticed Google.com was listed as available for purchase. Driven by curiosity, he proceeded to buy it using his Discover card, fully expecting the system to reject the transaction.
“I was hoping I would get an error saying the transaction did not go through,” Ved later wrote on LinkedIn.
To his shock, the transaction was successful—his card was charged and he briefly owned Google.com, if only for about a minute.
The One-Minute Ownership
During that short time, Ved said he began receiving internal emails from Google users—proof that he had temporary control of the domain. However, he wasn’t able to modify the Google homepage or access deeper system controls. Just as quickly as it happened, Google canceled the transaction and reclaimed the domain.
Google’s Response: $6006.13 + Charity Bonus
Google acknowledged the mishap and offered Ved a payout of $6006.13—a clever numerical spelling of “Google.” But when the company learned that Ved had no intention of keeping the money and instead planned to donate it to charity, Google doubled the reward to $12,000.
Ved donated the sum to the Art of Living India Foundation, which runs free schools in underserved communities plagued by poverty and child labor.
Who is Sanmay Ved?
Ved worked at Google for over five years before pursuing his MBA at Babson College near Boston. A loyal fan of the company, he even had the Google logo as his Facebook profile picture.
Not a Bug Bounty, But a Memorable Reward
Google often rewards security researchers who report flaws or vulnerabilities, paying up to $37,500 in some cases. While Ved’s find wasn’t a security bug per se, it was unusual enough to warrant a goodwill gesture—and plenty of viral attention.
🚀 Final Thought
In the annals of internet oddities, Sanmay Ved’s accidental ownership of Google.com stands out as a quirky, good-hearted moment in tech history—proof that sometimes curiosity doesn’t just kill the cat, it earns a charity $12,000.
