How Verisign got such a profitable business and what the future holds.
Verisign operates one of the most profitable large businesses in the world thanks to a no-bid contract to operate the .com namespace. My guest on today’s show talks about how Verisign got to where it is today and what the chances are that antitrust forces will take a look at it in the future. David Dayen is the Executive Editor of The American Prospect and the author of Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power. It’s an enlightening discussion.
Also: Happy Birthday, domain quality, Escrow.com’s record year and more.
Sponsor: DAN.com
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:30 — 22.8MB) | Embed
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JB says
This is the perfect example of how bad GoDaddy fails in their leadership responsibilities. Even when Verisign were asking for input and feedback, go and find GoDaddy’s input as the market leader to address the concerns of their user base. They didn’t even bother submitting one until a few domainers asked point blank why they were sitting it out. Their pitiful excuse for industry input then came In the final hours before cutoff. If you are going to use public money and billions in long term debt, to manipulate industries, punish competitors, reduce services, fire staff to adjust share prices up so KKR and others could sidestep into AWS management transitions, discriminate against domain owners based on political and religious preferences, then at least take a few minutes to do the right thing. GoDaddy benefits in massive ways from this hike. The larger they get, the more secret rebate qualifications they qualify for, the more risk and fake money they can utilize to suppress other registrars. It is time to act and hold all of them accountable. Starting with cancellation of Verisign’s unnecessary and unwarranted price-boost cash grab, before the power of cancel culture and disgust for privileged entitlement gets pointed directly their way. They have too many skeletons in the closet.
This world is facing some of the worst hardships in its recent history. This is literally more old white men behind the scenes laughing at how hard they can squeeze to hurt YOU while they buy more caviar, planes, and hookers. Wake up please. It is time for a mass exodus of domains from GoDaddy, and less manipulative officials across the board playing games at our expense. The depravity and false misdirection here is beyond calculation. The movement against domainers specifically in private meetings should terrify all of us.
mikemannmikemanncom says
https://www.circleid.com/posts/president_of_buydomainscom_responds_to_wls_issue
HP says
Nominet the UK registry has a monopoly on co.uk/.uk domain names.
From 2016 – 2020 Nominet has:
Reduced public benefit donations 65% (from £5.4M to £1.9M)
Reduced operating profit 38% (from £8M to £5M)
Increased Top 3 Director pay 70% (from £1M to £1.7M)
Ignored members’ concerns and input
Tried to silence critics, the press and members
There is a campaign http://www.publicbenefit.uk to change the Nominet executive board members with many comments on twitter http://www.twitter.com/publicbenefituk
An EGM has been called for next week on the 22nd March.