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EX-GOOGLER SANMAY Ved was the lucky buyer of “Google.com,” if only for a minute.
Ved told Business Insider that he was up late and searching Google Domains, Google’s website-buying service, when he noticed that Google.com was available.
Instead of a gray sad face that indicates a domain has an owner, the green happy face showed it was available.
The cost to buy the most-trafficked domain in the world? Only $12.
“I used to work at Google so I keep messing around with the product. I type in Google.com and to my surprise it showed it as available,” Ved told Business Insider. “I thought it was some error, but I could actually complete check out.”
Ved added it to his shopping cart and, surprisingly, the transaction went through.
Instead of receiving the normal “you bought a domain” emails from the company, his Google Search Console dashboard, which has an overview of his other websites, was updated with messages for the Google.com domain owner. He also received emails with internal information, which he has since reported to Google’s security team.
“The scary part was I had access to the webmaster controls for a minute,” Ved said.
He frantically took screenshots along the way and detailed the whole ordeal in a LinkedIn post.
Click here to view a larger image
His ownership of Google.com was short-lived though. Google Domains canceled the sale a minute later, saying someone had registered the site before he could, and refunded Ved the $12 that had already been charged.
“So for one minute I had access,” Ved said.
At least I can now say I’m the man who owned Google.com for a minute.
Click here to view a larger image
Ved is not sure what happened to allow him to purchase the site.
It could have been a bug in Google Domains or the company simply failed to renew its domain name when the time came. A Google representative said they are looking into the issue, but aren’t currently noticing anything unusual.
Google’s not the first to run into strange domain problems.
In 2003, Microsoft failed to renew its “Hotmail.co.uk” web address, and someone else bought it. While in Google’s case it was bought from Google itself and quickly cancelled, Microsoft had to ask the buyer to return it to them.
While Ved’s control over Google.com may have been fleeting, he’s still surprised that his late-night searching led to actually buying the site. He has been a fan of the company since he worked there for 5 1/2 years before leaving to do an MBA. His profile picture on Facebook is just a picture of the Google Plus logo.
“I can’t shake that feeling that I actually owned Google.com,” Ved said.
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Will they be waxy or floury?
Not sure, but if you eat one a day they’ll help you work, rest and play…
Martian dung
Beats Cypriot human waste that they are grown in?
Spend millions trying to grow potatoes on Mars while no thought about trying to grow some in countries with famine and people dying of starvation.
I’m pretty sure that if they manage to grow a potato on Mars they might be able to grow one in a 3rd world country too.
I can’t believe you wasting your time commenting on this website when you could be using that time trying to solve world hunger.
OMG. YOU ARE SO SELFISH. SOMEBODY COULD HAVE EATEN THAT COMMENT. GAWWW
Maybe if they stopped buying ak47s and shooting each other they have time to plant something.
Won’t people think of the trees before posting wasteful comments?….
Well, they actually have. But people tend to loose the plot when you mention go foods to them
There are many of these research places. They are funded by the UN. And yes what you suggested is their primary aim. They try and solve problems that commercial groups are not interested in. A good group to work for if you like to travel and you have the skills.
They mentioned in the article that these potatoes could be used to feed starving people on earth too
The thing I’m wondering is why we don’t have an international potato center
“NASA, the US space agency…”
Thanks for the clarification there, I couldn’t understand why the North American Saxophone Alliance wanted to grow potatoes on Mars.
So that would mean Mars would then be perfect for the Irish and the Russians to colonise. Nobody utilises spuds like these two nations and I’m not just talking taytos here! ( poiteen people Martian poiteen, it would be out of this world lol)
Space blight will kill millions.
Tayto factory :)
This story is nearly a week old, this isn’t print media.
Eating GMO food means sure painful death.
As the elites have private organic gardens.
They have excellent quality tinfoil as well.
I’ll sell you a hat made from premium quality tinfoil along with some powdered unicorn horn if you like – it’s only 500 quid all in, you won’t get a better bargain anywhere…
Eat up guys.
http://www.naturalnews.com/images/Rat-Tumor-Monsanto-GMO-Cancer-Study-3-Wide.jpg
Obama says it’s good for you.
http://www.naturalnews.com/037466_GM_food_global_elite_organic_gardens.html
Do you want some chemo for desert?
Brav,phhokin Oh
Johnneary
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/NaturalNews
That tinfoil hat and powdered unicorn horn is still for sale John…..
“If you cite NaturalNews on any matter whatsoever, you are almost certainly wrong.”
The dawn of space age started with a spudnik
Sure we grow in any conditions and survive some of the most extrem political bullshit
They’ve been watching too many movies….
I dunno what is more shocking, growing potatoes on the moon or the fact there is an international potato centre and it isn’t in Ireland ;)
Mars….
Mars*
Time to science the shit out of it
Amazing all the people starving in the world, AND they want to grow f#*k#ng spuds on Mars
Unless there is a hidden deadly bacteria or virus on the planet???
That’s going to be some expensive tatties
Does this mean land on Mars is now privatised
Spudnik!
The “Martian” was the most PC movie ever, a multi culti fantasy of the most annoying kind.
Good head up there too boys
have your say