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1h ago

Ask.com Shuts Down After Nearly 30 Years

IAC says the closure reflects a shift in corporate focus.

© Ask.com / IAC
Vintage desktop setup with CRT monitor displaying the Ask Jeeves homepage, keyboard, mouse, and cluttered wooden desk with a 'World's Best Dad' mug and books nearby on a shelf.
Former Ask Jeeves CEO Steve Berkowitz is shown in Emeryville in 2004 with the search engine’s mascot. The internet pioneer, later known as Ask.com, shut down Friday.
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Overview

  • Ask.com, which officially closed Friday, now displays a farewell message from owner IAC.
  • IAC said it discontinued its search business that included Ask.com as part of a broader refocus.
  • The site now functions as a placeholder with limited results, and reporters found some searches pulling links from other IAC properties.
  • Ask lost ground to Google, and by 2010 it ended in‑house search work, outsourced results, and moved to a community Q&A model.
  • Born as Ask Jeeves in the late 1990s with plain‑English queries and a butler mascot, the service is widely viewed as a precursor to today’s conversational AI tools.