The once-popular search engine Ask Jeeves was a big part of many people’s lives in the 1990s and 2000s, but its namesake was ditched in 2006 and the search engine closed down for good in 2010
13:15, 05 May 2025Updated 13:15, 05 May 2025
Close up of Ask.com main page on the web browser (stock image)(Image: brightstars via Getty Images)
If you’re a ’90s kid, chances are Ask Jeeves rings a bell – after all, it used to be our go-to internet guru before Google dominated the scene. Launched in 1996 by Garrett Gruener and David Warthen in Berkeley, California, this question-answering service quickly became a household name.
Gary Chevsky initially implemented the software, but the actual creation of the early AskJeeves.com was a combined effort from Warthen, Chevsky, Justin Grant and others involved in the development. Jeeves was the virtual butler we’d turn to when searching the web for answers.
Some might even say Jeeves was an early proto-Google. However, as pervasive as he was for nearly a decade, there wasn’t much fanfare when he slipped away from public consciousness.
The topic resurfaced on Reddit, sparking a walk down memory lane with a user’s query: “What ever happened to just Ask Jeeves? I used just Ask Jeeves all the time. Is that what Siri took the place of?”
Since the question popped up, Redditors have been busy speculating about the ultimate fate of the once-popular search assistant. A slew of responses ensued.
One nostalgic person lamented: “Nobody thought to ask how is Jeeves.” Another observed: “They rebranded to Ask.com.”
A reminiscent commenter reflected: “I always thought that ‘Jeeves’ was such an easy thing to remember when I was learning about computers.”
You may not be aware that the “Jeeves” name was phased out in 2006 as the brand shifted its focus to the search engine, which had its own algorithm. However, by late 2010, it faced stiff competition from more popular search engines like Google.
This led to the company outsourcing its web search technology and reverting to its original function as a question-and-answer site. In its heyday, “Jeeves” was the name of a “gentleman’s personal gentleman”, or valet, who could provide answers to any question asked.
Jeeves was depicted as a valet (stock image)(Image: Ask Jeeves)
The character’s name was inspired by Jeeves, the valet of Bertie Wooster in P. G. Wodehouse’s fictional works. Initially, the idea was to allow users to get answers to everyday questions in natural language and traditional keyword searching.
The brand dropped the “Jeeves” name in 2006 and renamed the search engine simply “Ask.” However, this didn’t last long before it was discontinued.
In 2010, Ask.com eliminated its search function, unable to compete with more popular search engines like Google. Ultimately, it seems Jeeves couldn’t keep up with the rest.
A summary by EN Gadget states: “Ask Jeeves was a character-driven search engine, if ever there was one. Founded in 1996, Ask Jeeves featured a well-dressed valet who supposedly fetched search results and was able to understand questions posed in everyday phrasing.
“Natural language processing is still tricky for developers today – just ask Siri anything – so this was a daunting pre-Y2K goal. Ask Jeeves lasted until roughly 2005, when it was rebranded as Ask.com.
“The company attempted to invade Yahoo Answers’ territory by focusing on a real-person QandA site, but Ask.com ended its foray into search engineering in 2010. Ask.com is ranked No. 128 in the world, according to Alexa.”