In December 2015, before OpenAI was officially announced, its co-founders were still debating the right name. The now-famous brand could easily have been something very different. “Cogito” or “Consider” were serious contenders but one thread stands out in the early exchanges: securing the right domain was already a priority.
Greg Brockman, then CTO-to-be, suggested “Consider,” noting that consider.com and the @consider handle could be acquired for a reasonable price. Elon Musk’s reaction was direct: he wasn’t a fan of the sound and felt the name came off as “nannyish and self-righteous.”
Musk proposed a different naming approach, drawing on the example of SpaceX’s formal name, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. He floated “Open AI Institute” with a playful acronym twist but crucially, he had already spotted that OpenAI.com was available for purchase.
Within a day, Brockman reported that “OpenAI” was growing on him, and he was already negotiating with the domain’s owner.
The exchange, shared on Internal Tech Emails and sourced from OpenAI v. Open Artificial Intelligence (2025), offers a revealing look into the naming process at the highest level.
For entrepreneurs like Musk, securing the perfect domain is not an afterthought. It’s embedded in the brand’s foundation, part of shaping identity from the start, ensuring that when the name goes public, the digital presence is already aligned.
Today, OpenAI.com is one of the most recognised domain names in technology. The story behind it is a reminder that strategic domain decisions often happen before the first line of code is written or the first investor pitch is made.
We hope the above information will help you in making informed decisions about your brand. If you want to say hi or have any questions about naming, branding, and domain names get in touch, we’re always happy to hear from you.
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