This has nothing to do with the fact that wormhole is "a cool sci-fi word" that's "easy to spell, easy to remember, and easy to build a new brand around."

Jump wants this domain because its Wormhole Network already exists and is extremely valuable. Jump does not want this domain because it has good resale value. Jump is not in the business of flipping domains.

I think $50,000 is fair as a matter of fact. It's not talked about much anymore. I don't know the other details of the case, just that...for wormhole.com...$50,000 is not out of the question. But the fact it's owned by Carl Sagan means it's a marketing op to say you bought it from him, at a good price, not a fair price.

They could bump it up to make both parties better off, and in fact Jump Trading like the name wormhole specifically and directly because of science popularization primarily due to Carl Sagan. Like write a better payment on a giant check and take a bunch of pictures, come on.

Or what? Does anybody at Jump Trading have old dry-ink manuscripts analyzing actual wormholes in the astronomical sense?

EDIT: on reflection the guys they hire actually could have dry-ink manuscripts, in grad school. But not within Jump Trading.