He's Sitting on a Domain Worth Millions, but Not for Profit

Writer Alex Mayyasi stumbled upon an internet anomaly when he randomly typed milk.com into his browser. He expected to see a big dairy lobby or the URL parked for sale given its value as a short, single-word domain, but he instead found a relic from the internet's early days: a barebones site with links pointing to jokes, recipes, and the resume of owner Dan Bornstein. Writing for the Hustle, Mayyasi went on a journey to understand the current state of domain values and what Bornstein's endgame on this valuable URL could be. He conjectured that the software developer, who purchased the domain in 1994, was waiting for a big payday (experts currently value it in the millions), making an artistic statement, or just having a bit of fun. It appears that none were true.

Bornstein's interest in purchasing a domain stemmed from the early days of email, when personal accounts were not common. To avoid the busywork of having to change his email address whenever he changed jobs, Bornstein decided to buy a URL he could use as his domain home base. He chose milk.com in part because friends called him "milk boy" thanks to his love of chocolate milk. Today, he constantly gets offers to buy it, so much so that he added a page declaring he wouldn't take less than $10 million. Even so, he seems genuinely uninterested in selling.

Mayyasi explores how AI searches and platforms such as TikTok and Facebook are making domains less relevant, which could render milk.com pretty much worthless someday. But Bornstein says he wouldn't regret it, adding that he would be happy if his legacy reflected "the way the internet should be or should have always been. If it's not my personal domain, as long as it's part of those old-school ideas about how the internet should be, that would make me happier." Get the full story on the Hustle. (Read more longform recaps).