Trending Now - Ask Jeeves Bows Out After 30 Years of Web Search Innovation
WHO:
TechRadar - Ask Jeeves, originally known as AskJeeves, was a web search engine.
Gizmodo - The parent company of Ask.com is IAC.
WHAT:
The Register - Ask Jeeves went public in 1999 amid the stock market frenzy of the first dotcom boom.
The Register - Ask Jeeves was acquired by Inter-Active Corp (IAC) in 2005.
The Register - Ask.com never achieved significant market share and has not featured in StatCounter’s list of the top five search sites since 2009.
The Register - The closure announcement included the statement, “After 25 years of answering the world's questions, Ask.com officially closed on May 1, 2026.”
The Register - Ask.com received 245 million global visits over 25 years, reaching three percent of the global population.
The Register - The Ask.com website stated, “Every great search must come to an end,” in its closure announcement.
The Register - The closure announcement expressed gratitude to “the brilliant engineers, designers, and teams who built and supported Ask over the decades” and thanked “the millions of users who turned to us for answers in a rapidly changing world.”
TechRadar - Ask Jeeves has shut down after nearly three decades of operation.
Gizmodo - As of May 1, 2026, Ask.com is no longer operational, and a message from IAC confirmed the discontinuation of their search business.
WHEN:
Gizmodo - Ask.com ceased operations on May 1, 2026.
WHY:
Gizmodo - IAC decided to discontinue its search business to sharpen its focus.
HOW:
The Register - The new wave of AI-powered search allows natural language queries, similar to the original concept of Ask Jeeves.
Gizmodo - The message from IAC regarding the shutdown stated, “As IAC continues to sharpen its focus, we have made the decision to discontinue our search business, which includes Ask.com.”
(UPDATED May 5, 2026 01:29 UTC)
Ask.com, which was launched during the dotcom boom in 1999 and later acquired by Inter-Active Corp in 2005, officially closed its doors after 25 years of operation on May 1, 2026. Despite its early promise, Ask.com never gained significant market share and has not been listed among the top five search sites since 2009. The closure comes as a new wave of AI-powered search technologies emerges, allowing users to make natural language queries reminiscent of the original Ask Jeeves concept.
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(UPDATED May 4, 2026 19:24 UTC)
Ask.com has officially announced its closure, stating, “Every great search must come to an end.” Over the course of 25 years, the site attracted 245 million global visits, reaching about three percent of the world's population. In their farewell message, they expressed gratitude to the talented engineers and designers who contributed to its success, as well as to the millions of users who relied on Ask for answers throughout the years.
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(UPDATED May 4, 2026 13:22 UTC)
Ask Jeeves, originally known as AskJeeves, has officially shut down after nearly three decades of operation, with its parent company IAC confirming the discontinuation of the search engine. As of May 1, 2026, Ask.com is no longer operational, following IAC's decision to focus on other business areas. In a message regarding the shutdown, IAC stated, “As IAC continues to sharpen its focus, we have made the decision to discontinue our search business, which includes Ask.com.”