Voice.com sold for 30 million dollar

Last week the domain name voice.com was sold by MicroStrategy Incorporated for as many as 30 million dollars, fully paid in cash. This transaction is considered by DNJournal as the largest domain name sale this year and even the largest known domain name sale ever, paid for in cash.

Block.one, a Blockchain Software Developer, purchased this domain name to launch their first service: Voice, a new social media platform, based entirely on BlockChain. They want to distinguish themselves from other social media platforms by verifying users when they sign up, for example by checking a government-issued ID. Through this manner, they want to put a stop to internet trolls and bots.

The amount that was paid for voice.com is well over double what was once paid for the (now) second in the line: sex.com. That one “only” costed 13 million dollars to the buyer.
Other domain names have been known to change hands for an even higher value. For example LasVegas.com for 90 million and PrivateJet.com for 30 million. But these were not fully paid for in cash or the sale also included other assets.

Many domain names that are sold for a high amount are being followed by a gTLD application. So the chances are high that an application will be made for .voice, if ICANN launches a new application round for gTLDs. This previously happened for, among many others, .sex, .clothing and .vodka.