Ask.com, the search engine and Q&A platform previously known as Ask Jeeves, has ceased operations.

Launched in 1996, Ask Jeeves focused on responding to conversational inquiries made in natural language, making it a forerunner to modern AI-driven chatbots. Despite its 30-year existence, it has largely been eclipsed by other search engines, particularly Google.

The parent company IAC purchased Ask Jeeves in 2005, promptly removing “Jeeves” from its title, and by 2010 had diminished its search offerings to concentrate on Q&A. That same year, IAC Chairman Barry Diller remarked at TechCrunch Disrupt that Ask.com was not competitive with Google and lacked value in IAC’s stock.

A notice on the Ask.com site currently states, “As IAC continues to refine its focus, we have made the decision to cease our search operations, which includes Ask.com. After 25 years of addressing the world’s inquiries, Ask.com officially shut down on May 1, 2026.”

However, the website maintains, “The spirit of Jeeves lives on.”