"As IAC continues to sharpen its focus, we have made the decision to discontinue our search business, which includes Ask.com. After 25 years of answering the world's questions, Ask.com officially closed on May 1, 2026."
"The shutdown underscores how the once-crowded search industry has consolidated over time, leaving smaller or legacy platforms unable to compete at scale."
"Ask.com was founded in 1996 and launched in 1997 as Ask Jeeves, featuring a butler mascot and a question-based search format that allowed users to enter queries in plain language."
"Its closure marks the end of one of the web's early search brands and reflects broader consolidation trends across the technology and digital advertising sectors."
Ask.com, one of the earliest search engines, has ceased its search operations after nearly 30 years. Parent company IAC announced this decision as part of a strategic shift away from legacy search. The closure, effective May 1, 2026, highlights the consolidation in the search industry, where smaller platforms struggle to compete. Founded in 1996 as Ask Jeeves, the platform transitioned to a question-and-answer format after halting its own search technology development around 2010. This marks the end of a significant early web brand.
Read at Fox Business
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