In the world of digital real estate, domain names are like beachfront properties- scarce, valuable, and heavily guarded. But on a quiet September night in 2015, something extraordinary happened. For just one minute, an Indian man, Sanmay Ved, technically owned one of the most iconic digital addresses in the world: Google.com.
The man behind this bizarre episode is Sanmay Ved, a former Google employee who was casually browsing Google Domains late one night when he stumbled upon the unthinkable: google.com was listed as available for purchase.
Thinking it was a glitch or some UI trick, Sanmay clicked through the checkout process. Moments later, his credit card was charged $12—around ₹804 at the time and confirmation emails started pouring in. To his astonishment, his Google Domains dashboard listed him as the owner of google.com.
“I was in shock. I never expected the transaction to go through,” Sanmay later said in interviews.
For that short time, he had access to some administrative functions, such as internal dashboards typically only available to confirmed domain owners. But the power didn’t last long. In a minute, Google had withdrawn his access and cancelled the transaction due to an internal error.
Google’s Response: A Bug, a Fix, and a Reward
Google acknowledged the incident and quickly patched the technical glitch that made their core domain available for purchase. But the story didn’t end there.
Impressed by Sanmay’s honesty and transparency—especially the fact that he never misused the access, Google decided to reward him. The amount of the reward was not publicly disclosed, but Sanmay later revealed that he requested Google to donate the sum to an Indian charity supporting underprivileged children. Google doubled the donation as a gesture of goodwill.
Not a Scam, Not a Hoax – Just a One-in-a-Billion Bug
Domain name expirations and renewals are usually automated, especially for tech giants. But sometimes, even the most fortified systems can experience hiccups. Google’s transparency in acknowledging the glitch and Sanmay’s ethical response turned this into a feel-good story rather than a cybersecurity scare.
While Sanmay Ved didn’t walk away with the keys to Google’s kingdom, he did walk away with something arguably more valuable: a place in internet folklore and a digital morality tale for the ages.
Lesson of the Day: Always read your domain expiration dates—because sometimes, owning Google might just be a few clicks (and ₹800) away.
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