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IN THE EARLY hours of Tuesday 29 September, former Googler Sanmay Ved was still awake, scrolling through Google’s domains interface.
To his surprise, Google.com popped up as available for sale – for just $12.
Writing about the experience on a LinkedIn post, the tech enthusiast said he hoped he would get an error but the opposite happened.
“I was able to complete the purchase, and my credit card was actually charged!”
He then received emails which contained information usually not available to people outside the company.
It was a short-lived reign though. Within a minute, the sale was cancelled by Google Domains and a refund arranged.
Ved believes he found a bug in the system that allowed him to make the purchase and there are Googlers looking into any potential problems he exposed.
In these cases, the search engine often finds gives out monetary rewards but Ved wasn’t interested.
To match his ‘good deed’, Google agreed to donate an undisclosed sum of money to the Art of Living India Foundation on Ved’s request.
“I don’t care about the money. It was never about the money,” Ved told Business Insider. “I also want to set an example that it’s people who want to find bugs that it’s not always about the money.”
The episode has echoes of that time when Microsoft failed to renew its hotmail.co.uk address and somebody snatched it up.
h/t Business Insider
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A millionaire for a moment…
Exactly, who is he fooling, it was all about the money!
how so, he didn’t get any money unless u are saying he’s taking a wage from the charity.
Like sinn fein td’s would have you believe you mean.
“We only take a living wage” they cry
“Where’s the rest of the money go, you don’t give it back to the govt”
“We hire staff in our local offices to get round the annual personal donation limits to political parties”
“So you use the money you say you’re not taking to hire more people to work for Sinn Fein thereby furthering your own political parties interests whilst claiming that you personally don’t benefit from it.”
“Ermm, I have to go see if any online domains haven’t been renewed….”
well its a damn sight better than the greedy corrupt troika party politicians give up…
No comment to make on the article?
Fran stop fecking about with those numbers and go back in your secure unit
Leave him alone. he’s entertaining and doesn’t do anyone any harm.
“Gus Sheridan” = 11 Characters.
You must be another one of them.
Pronnsias = 9 letters
McCarthaigh = 11 letters
9/11
9+1+1 = 11
Also, I’ve left you a dead mouse by the back door.
$12 = € 10.57
# 13
Tomorrow that will change #CurrencyFluctuations
On 29 September, when the purchase took place, the exchange rate was 1.00=1.1242, meaning $12 = €10.67. Currently, $12 = €10.56. I’m afraid your maths is wrong, Frank.
Am I the only one not getting this number lark
Don’t knock the numbers!
Left, left, stop_ Tomorrow we will get another story to match tomorrow’s rates.
cool story bro
have your say