Does a domain's past usage permanently change what it is?

[NiceNICDomainServerNiceNICDomainServer is verified member.]

When a domain has a visible history, like spam, controversy, or a failed startup. Does that history become part of the asset itself?
Even if the DNS is clean, the registry status is fine, and technically it's "just a string"…

But does that history ever really disappear?
When you see a domain with a past, do you treat it as neutral?
Or does past usage permanently affect how buyers, partners, or markets interpret it?

 

[dony77]

I kinda think it depends who’s looking. Search engines might forget eventually, but humans don’t reset that fast. I’ve passed on a domain before just because the name rang a bad bell.

 

[dazc]

I had a bad domain a while ago, Netristrar kept telling me it was getting abuse reports even though I wasn't using it for anything. Also got notifications from Cloudflare that records had been subpoenaed. Obviously, it had some history and it seemed like a good idea to let it drop.