Domain Name Wire Podcast

It's back! Two of our most popular guests on the Domain Name Wire podcast are domain investors Mark Levine and Logan Flatt. On today's show, Mark and Logan provide details about their domain investing results in 2025. You'll learn where they are acquiring domains, what type they are buying, how they're pricing them and how they're selling them. Grab a pencil and paper, because you'll want to take notes. Also: Escrow.com data, ICANN85, Dominion, and new TLD tool Sponsor: Namecheap

A year ago Nova Registry, the company behind .link, announced that it planned to apply for 200 top level domain names in the round that opens this year. Today, Vaughn Liley, general manager of Nova Registry, comes on the show to give an update about the company's plans. We have a wide ranging conversation about running top level domains, how the 2026 round will be different from last time, the policy behind web3 integration, and much more. Also: GoDaddy and Escrow earnings, premium domains Sponsor: Sav.com domain transfers

By now, you've surely heard about the record-shattering $70 million sale of ai.com. After the sale was announced, there were many erroneous news reports claiming that the seller had purchased the domain decades ago for $100. This isn't true, and anyone who pays attention to the domain business knows this. About five years ago, Saw.com brokered the sale of the domain, and this was widely reported in the press. On today's show, Saw.com founder Jeff Gabriel provides details on the previous sale of the valuable domain name and how the artificial intelligence market has changed since then. Also, I dig into the numbers a bit: the domain was bought and sold with cryptocurrency, so the seller's return wasn't quite what it seems. (But still, nothing to sneeze at!) Jeff also shares data about which countries and states are the most likely to convert to sales when you receive leads. This is valuable information! Also: GoDaddy's crazy terms, UDRP decline, and tax form relief Sponsor: Spaceship SellerHub

This month's Super Bowl featured a lot of great commercials, including one that the entire domain name industry can get behind. Squarespace's commercial featured actress Emma Stone, who searches and finds out that EmmaStone.com is taken. The ad tells people to get their domain before it's gone. While EmmaStone.com was taken, Stone acquired the domain late last year. On today's show, the domain broker who helped make that happen, Brian Harbin of Grit Brokerage, tells the story of how the deal came together. We also talk about some of the other Super Bowl commercials and the domains in them, including ai.com. Videos mentioned in this episode: Super Bowl commercial extended cut The Negotiation A Message from Emma Stone Sponsor: Sav.com domain auctions

About one year after retiring from GoDaddy, Bob Mountain is back in the domain industry as the Chief Commercial and Revenue Officer for D3 Global. On today's show, Bob explains why he believes in D3's mission of marrying the DNS with blockchain technology. He discusses how this can benefit both domain investors and registrars. Also: Verisign's plans, Emma Stone, Bed Bath & Beyond, .ai price increase and more Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers

After a year of strong growth at its domain name registrar, Unstoppable Domains is looking forward to building on the momentum in 2026. On today's show, Unstoppable CEO Matthew Gould explains the company's strategy, and why he Unstoppable Domains will continue to attract domain investors. Matthew also discussed the Unstoppable's plans to apply for new top level domain names with ICANN this year. Also: Mtn is back, Monaco rolls the dice, .AI hits new heights. Sponsor: Sav.com backorders

Earlier this month, Internet Commerce Association held its annual meeting in Las Vegas. As I often do at domain events, I walked around with a recorder to get peoples' thoughts about domain names. On today's show, you'll hear from people about the state of the market, giving their thoughts about the meeting, and talking about new domain services. Also: Domain parking, hidden gems, and cybersquatting lawsuits Sponsor: Sav.com domain transfers

On recent episodes, domain investors Doron Vermaat and Braden Pollock have shared their domain sales results from the past year. There will be more episodes like this in the future. But this week, I'm going to share my sales results for 2025. The year ended well for me, but I have high goals for 2026. I also share how I plan to do things differently in my portfolio going forward. Sponsor: Sav.com domain auctions

With 2025 in the books, I will be interviewing a handful of domain investors in the coming months to ask them how the year was for them. I find these interviews insightful, as they let you dig into other investors' strategies, understand pricing, and improve your domain investing prowess. Today, I'm talking to Doron Vermaat. Doron is a long time domain investor and co-founder of domain sales platform Efty. If there's one takeaway from today's interview, I think it should be that there are many ways to make good money in domain investing outside of .com. Also: Domain stocks, new top level domains and more Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers

Could AI agents use the domain name system to improve trust and discovery? That's the idea behind Agent Name Service, a proposal from GoDaddy. On today's show, James Bladel explains what it is, and how it could become reality. James, who is VP of Corporate and Government Affairs at GoDaddy, also discusses his appointment to the Internet Commerce Association's board, as well as what policy issues we should keep an eye on in 2026 and beyond.

It's the annual predictions episode! On today's show, you'll hear from 26 people in the domain name industry. Each person will say what they found notable about 2025 and what they expect will happen in 2026. Happy New Year! Sponsor: Sav.com backorders

Perry Rosenbloom thought he had a great domain to launch his business on: motion.io. But three years later, he rebranded the business to LaunchBay. On today's show, Perry explains why the company decided to rebrand. He also shares some advice for startup founders so they can avoid his mistakes. Also: Supreme Court, .us, Identity Digital, and zero click Sponsor: Sav.com domain transfers

Domain investor Braden Pollock was on a panel I moderated at NamesCon last month, and he mentioned on stage that he was having a record year in domain sales. I followed up to see if Braden would talk about it on the podcast. He sent over a complete list of his sales this year, and on today's show, we dive into many of the details behind his eight-figure year. Braden also explains that this has been a long time coming…it took many years to build up his portfolio, including years when he spent more than he made from domain sales. Also: Rams, Newfold, name.com Sponsor: Sav.com domain auctions

Last week, World Intellectual Property Organization and Internet Commerce Association (ICA) published a final report of their collaborative review of the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy. On today's show, ICA General Counsel Zak Muscovitch explains how this collaboration came to be and what the results were. We're also joined by ICA Executive Director Kamila Sekiewicz, who previews what to expect at next month's annual meeting in Las Vegas. Also: Lambo, reverse domain name hijacking cases, multi-year registrations, and more. Mentioned on this show: ICA-WIPO report, ICA annual meeting Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers

This week, entrepreneur Peter Askew rejoins me on the show to get an update on his many ventures. We talk about the milestone his Vidalia Onion business hit this year, why he sold his dude ranch directory, and discuss some business ideas that haven't taken off. Enjoy the show! Sponsor: Sav.com backorders

2025 has been a roller coaster! Between trade wars, currency fluctuations, and Google destroying AdSense for Domains, a lot has happened. A year ago I asked 22 people to provide predictions for what would happen in the domain industry this year. Now that we're 11 months through, let's go back and listen to those predictions to see who was right…and who missed the mark. Sponsor: Sav.com domain transfers

My guest this week is Wade Smith, Director of Aftermarket Sales at Afternic. Wade talks about the new DomainNames.com initiative and how it came to be. He also shares how Afternic brokers follow up on leads, and provides tips about which landers to use. You'll also get guidance for pricing your domains and learn a simple tweak to help you make more money on your lease- to-own sales. Also: Why Sedo and Team Internet are for sale Sponsor: Sav.com domain auctions

The domain name industry converged in Miami last week for NamesCon. It's the first time the show has been held in Miami. Held in conjunction with CloudFest, the event attracted nearly 1,000 people. On today's podcast, you'll hear from 16 people at the show. I recorded these on the exhibit hall floor, so I apologize in advance for the background noise. Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers

Squarespace is one of the biggest domain name registrars in the world after acquiring Google's domain name business. On today's show I'm joined by Kevin Doerr, who oversees the company's domain business. We talk about Squarespace's new reseller API, why the company joined Internet Commerce Association, how Squarespace serves different types of customers, and discuss how AI will impact the domain business. Also: Aftermarket boom, domain travel schedule, registry lock and more. Sponsor: Sav.com backorders

There’s been a lot more noise lately about web3 and how blockchain can be applied to domain names. Domain investor Shane Cultra is well-versed in this intersection, so I asked him to come on the show to separate hype versus reality and where he thinks the market is going. Shane also talks about his domain investing activity and the challenges of launching new businesses. Mentioned on the show: Beehouse, Botany.com, DSAD Also: Verisign earnings, new top level domains and more. Sponsor: Sav.com domain transfers