Ask.com, one of the web’s earliest search engines, has officially shut down after more than 25 years. Parent company IAC ended its search business on May 1, 2026, marking the closure of a platform that once competed with Google Search.
Originally launched in the late 1990s as Ask Jeeves, the service stood out with its question-and-answer format and iconic butler mascot. Despite rebranding and modernization efforts, it gradually lost ground as Google came to dominate the search market.
While many younger users may not recognize the brand, Ask.com helped shape how people interact with search today – especially through natural-language queries. Its legacy, as IAC noted, lives on, with “Jeeves’ spirit” continuing in modern AI-driven search experiences.
Source: Android Authority
