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Show HN: I bought Big Interview's .ai domain to roast their negligence

3 points by justice_devb 8mo ago

I recently acquired the .ai domain for Big Interview, a major AI interview prep platform. I offered to transfer it to them for $799 (which is less than the price of 3 of their own "Interview Pro" packages), but I was completely ignored by their leadership. So, I spent my weekend building an interactive "Public Notice" site to roast the irony: a company that teaches interview preparation was completely unprepared for its own brand security. The site features a drag-and-drop communication board showing the ignored emails. Curious to hear the community's thoughts on SaaS domain security and how to handle these situations.

justice_devb 8mo ago
Update: After they ignored my very cheap transfer offer for the .ai, I checked their other TLDs out of curiosity. Their .app, .co, and .info were also completely wide open. So I grabbed them too. Mind-blowing negligence for a major tech company.
phillipseamore 8mo ago
Few brands own their names in more than one (or a handful) of TLDs, because it's pointless and a waste of money. "Big Interview" is a registered trademark and you have provided the evidence that you've registered their trademark at different TLD's in bad faith so they can easily claim the domains.
- justice_devb 8mo ago
  Actually, the evidence shows the opposite of 'bad faith.' I reached out to them directly with a transfer offer of just $799—which is essentially the registration cost and minor labor—specifically to help them secure their brand before someone else did. I didn't ask for thousands; I asked for a 'thank you' and a cost-recovery fee. For a 'world-leading AI platform,' claiming that owning your .ai TLD is 'pointless' is like a bank saying they don't need to lock the back door because they have a trademark on the front door. Trademark doesn't prevent a phishing attack or a competitor from causing confusion; proactive security does. They didn't ignore a 'squatter'; they ignored a professional heads-up.
  - cyansmoker 8mo ago
    Average pricing for a .ai domain is $150 You appear to have too much time on your hands, and no, not everyone should have to live in your reality.
fatata123 8mo ago
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3 points by justice_devb 8mo ago

justice_devb 8mo ago

Update: After they ignored my very cheap transfer offer for the .ai, I checked their other TLDs out of curiosity. Their .app, .co, and .info were also completely wide open. So I grabbed them too. Mind-blowing negligence for a major tech company.

phillipseamore 8mo ago

Few brands own their names in more than one (or a handful) of TLDs, because it's pointless and a waste of money. "Big Interview" is a registered trademark and you have provided the evidence that you've registered their trademark at different TLD's in bad faith so they can easily claim the domains.

justice_devb 8mo ago
Actually, the evidence shows the opposite of 'bad faith.' I reached out to them directly with a transfer offer of just $799—which is essentially the registration cost and minor labor—specifically to help them secure their brand before someone else did. I didn't ask for thousands; I asked for a 'thank you' and a cost-recovery fee. For a 'world-leading AI platform,' claiming that owning your .ai TLD is 'pointless' is like a bank saying they don't need to lock the back door because they have a trademark on the front door. Trademark doesn't prevent a phishing attack or a competitor from causing confusion; proactive security does. They didn't ignore a 'squatter'; they ignored a professional heads-up.
- cyansmoker 8mo ago
  Average pricing for a .ai domain is $150 You appear to have too much time on your hands, and no, not everyone should have to live in your reality.

fatata123 8mo ago

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