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Ask.com 'Ask Jeeves' search closes after 30 years

techMay 2, 2026411,163

On May 1, 2026 Ask.com posted a homepage farewell reading "Every great search must come to an end" and retired its Jeeves-era conversational search. Originally launched as Ask Jeeves in 1997 the site officially closed after nearly 30 years and the parent company IAC announced the shutdown. Ask.com popularized natural-language question answering and helped shape early conversational search long before modern large language models emerged. Its shutdown marks the end of a web 1.0 search icon and highlights how search is moving toward AI-driven platforms and new interaction models.

The old internet
@theoldinternet.bsky.social

Ask Jeeves has officially shut down on May 1, 2026, ending its 25-year run

6843h ago
Andre "Ran out of Jets" East99

Before Google took over Ask jeeves was the shit. I owe Jeeves for the discovery of The Hamster Dance and ebaumsworld

Richard Westmoreland ☕️68

Ironically now would have been the time to embrace AI and relaunch their identity

Business Decision Pikachu46

We forgot to ask Jeeves the one question that mattered. «are you ok?»

Sarah Viktoria 🇬🇧🏳️‍⚧️⚧️🦗38

It's been a long time since it was called Ask Jeeves. This is sad because I didn't know it was still going.

รℓσαɳε ℓყรɓεƭɦ 🏳️‍🌈28

this is like finding out alfred from batman died.

Michael Samonek17

Isn’t there someone you forgot to ask?

(Don’t) Nuke Them From Orbit 💥🌎15

So long old friend 🫡

Master Chief from Halo9

Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

JackMcgraw 🇨🇦 7

It was the butler after all

Jack Liu7

Murdered and for what? Sucking ass and being useless? Ok so murder us all then

HIOM6

Who will answer for Jeeves's demise?

matt howes4

It was launched on June 1, 1997. So almost 29 years... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ask.com

Nate3

Sponsor of the criminally underrated reality show "Treasure Hunters" that aired on NBC in 2006

Eighth Day Arts3

It all seemed so innocent and fun back then 😢

Glenn Muir2

I know it only for a very dated joke on The Simpsons: "I know what we can Ask Jeeves! 'Why does he suck?'"

Nebulosa da Chama ♀2

meanwhile, though not much of a silver lining, you can do searches WITHOUT AI using udm14.com

muad'dweeb🏳️‍⚧️🇵🇸2

angels ask thee to thy rest

🏳️‍⚧️ Josie Nights (1997) 🇵🇹
@josie.zone

Fun fact: When I was working as an intern for the public radio show of now-disgraced journalist Leonard Lopate, literally every time I met with him to discuss a segment, he would "research" the topic by typing a long sentence on the Ask Jeeves searchbar

523h ago
Stephanie King
@stephstephking.bsky.social

Can Tim Onion buy Ask Jeeves and just turn it into Google circa 2022 when it still worked

393h ago
Sarah Viktoria 🇬🇧🏳️‍⚧️⚧️🦗
@sarahviktoria.bsky.social

It's been a long time since it was called Ask Jeeves. This is sad because I didn't know it was still going.

383h ago
wolp
@brettnyanderson.bsky.social

Had the pleasure of meeting Ask Jeeves at a charity do once. He was surprisingly down to earth, and VERY funny.

232h ago
Robert McNees
@mcnees.bsky.social

[Jeeves stumbles out the front door of ask.com corporate HQ, overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of an outside world he hardly recognizes after 25 years chained to a desk in the basement query dungeon]

The ask.com page reads: Every great search must come to an end. 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. "To the millions who asked..." We are deeply grateful to the brilliant engineers, designers, and teams who built and supported Ask over the decades. And to you—the millions of users who turned to us for answers in a rapidly changing world-thank you for your endless curiosity, your loyalty, and your trust. Jeeves' spirit endures.
30Just now
Chris DeLeon Ⓥ make your own games
@chrisdeleon.bsky.social

pouring one out today for jeeves RIP in a way he still lives on inside us. when people ask those of us questions who once asked jeeves a question, they are asking for jeeves to answer through us. it's on us to be the jeeves they can ask

Every great search must come to an end. 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. "To the millions who asked..." We are deeply grateful to the brilliant engineers, designers, and teams who built and supported Ask over the decades. And to you—the millions of users who turned to us for answers in a rapidly changing world—thank you for your endless curiosity, your loyalty, and your trust.
242h ago
DK Vine
@dkvine.com

Wait, is DK Vine really older than Ask Jeeves? I’d ask him, but he’s suddenly not answering me when I try to summon him.

231h ago
Andre "Ran out of Jets" East
@iveseenfootage.bsky.social

Not only that but yourthemannowdog.ytmnd.com Homestarrunner.com Addictinggames GraalOnline Kingdomofloathing And more! Ask Jeeves literally changed my life and I never really thought about it til today

242h ago
J.A. Prentice
@japrenticewrites.bsky.social

Ask Jeeves shutting down rather than trying to relaunch with some AI garbage is a more dignified end than I’d expect from a search engine.

192h ago
SpaceMonkeyX
@spacemonkeyx.bsky.social

TIL: Until yesterday, Ask.com - as in Ask Jeeves - was still up and running.

161h ago
A Jason Tabrys2

We still have Excite (I checked)

Jeff Byrom2

Any love for Highway 61?

Massimo (mirror)
@rainmaker1973-m.bsky.social

Ask. com, originally launched as Ask Jeeves in 1997, officially closed down operations on May 1, 2026, after nearly 30 years. A farewell message on the site thanked users and staff for nearly three decades of service. Original post

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144h ago
Jesse Hawken
@jessehawken.bsky.social

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for Jeeves

192h ago
Edward Silha
@silha.com

I regret to inform you that Ask Jeeves is dead. The site closed yesterday. Web 1.0 lost another founder. Ask Jeeves: June 3, 1996 - May 1, 2026. Send no memes.

83h ago
Digital Brain
@yourdigitalbrain.bsky.social

Did you know that Ask Jeeves was processing 5 million queries daily at its peak? It paved the way for conversational search long before AI took the stage. What lessons can we learn from its rise and fall? 🤔

113h ago
2 sources
sinapti.caAsk.com closes after 30 years: the search engine that pioneered conversational search before LLMs - Sinapticamashable.comNo more Jeeves: Ask.com officially shuttered

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