Gandi SAS

When most domain registrars were rushing to copy the aggressive marketing tactics of the dot-com era, a small team of French internet pioneers decided to do something radically different. Founded in Paris in 1999 and launched in March 2000 by Pierre Beyssac, Laurent Chemla, David Nahmias, and Valentin Lacambre, Gandi built its entire business around a simple promise: "We simply strive to provide a decent and honest service."

That philosophy wasn't just marketing speak. While competitors loaded their websites with upsells and hidden fees, Gandi took a refreshingly direct approach. They included WHOIS privacy protection for free when others charged extra. They offered unlimited email aliases with domain registrations. They built their own Anycast DNS infrastructure with DNSSEC support and gave it away at no additional cost. The "no bullshit" culture that CEO Abe Bakker would later praise wasn't an accident—it was foundational.

What started as a challenge to U.S.-dominated domain registration has grown into something much bigger. Today, Gandi manages over 2.5 million domain names across more than 750 TLDs for customers in 192 countries. Their 150 employees across three continents handle everything from simple domain registrations to complex corporate portfolio management. They've expanded far beyond domains into web hosting, SSL certificates, VPS cloud infrastructure, and professional email services—all while maintaining their commitment to transparency and customer-centric design.

The company's evolution took a significant turn in 2023 when they merged with Total Webhosting Solutions to form Your.Online, a pan-European platform aimed at consolidating online infrastructure services. But unlike many corporate mergers that dilute company culture, this one was designed to preserve Gandi's operational autonomy while adding resources for growth. As founder Stephan Ramoin put it during the transition: "In creating Your.Online we ensure Gandi remains autonomous, while teaming up with like-minded people."

This strategic move positioned Gandi to compete more effectively with larger international players while maintaining the ethical approach that built their reputation. They're not trying to be the cheapest registrar or the biggest hosting company. Instead, they've carved out a unique position as the provider that does things right—even when doing things right costs more.