In the 1990s, I registered my first domain with a scrappy little company called Forman Interactive. Back then, they were the upstarts—challenging the entrenched monopoly of Network Solutions by offering “home age creation software – yes, I’m looking at you, WordPress!- and domain registration to the masses. They lobbied Congress. They broke barriers. They rebranded as Register.com and opened the internet for business. I was there for it.

That’s why I couldn’t help but smirk when I got the email this week: Register.com is now merging into Network Solutions. The disruptor has become the disrupted. The rebel brand that once led the charge to dismantle a monopoly is now returning, full circle, into the very arms it once defied.

There’s something poetic, even inevitable. Tech eats its own.

But before we eulogize, let’s remember: Register.com helped a generation of entrepreneurs take their first digital steps. Including me. When we launched Reflekta—the memory project that aims to connect passed and present—it was Register.com that gave us our first address. A domain name. A flag in the ground. That mattered then, and it still does. ** Note: Network Solutions seems to be much more developed in reselling domain owner information – I now get 20 spam calls a day.**

It was a good run.

So here’s to the irony. And here’s to the upstarts who don’t stay upstarts forever—but leave their mark anyway.

About the Author:

Miles Spencer is a multi-exit founder, investor, and storyteller. His work at the intersection of memory and technology is rooted in personal experience and a deep belief in legacy.