Ask.com

Ask.com (known originally as Ask Jeeves) is an answer engine, e-magazine, and former web search engine, operated by Ask Media Group. It was conceptualized and developed in 1996 by Garrett Gruener and David Warthen, based in Berkeley, California.

The original software was designed and implemented by Gary Chevsky. Warthen, Chevsky and Justin Grant then led the GUI development team, leading to the initial launch under the brand name of AskJeeves.com.

In 2006, the "Jeeves" name was discontinued, and it became the Ask.com web search engine, which had its own webcrawler and algorithm.

In late 2010, faced with insurmountable competition from larger search engines, the company outsourced its web search technology, and revived its function as a question and answer site.

Three venture capital companies, Highland Capital Partners, Institutional Venture Partners, and The RODA Group were early investors.

Ask.com is currently owned and operated by major U.S. media company InterActiveCorp (IAC), which acquired the Ask Media Group in 2005.

Ask.com was originally known as Ask Jeeves, "Jeeves" being the name of a "gentleman's personal gentleman", or valet, fetching answers to any question asked. The character was named after Jeeves, Bertie Wooster's valet in the fictional works of P. G. Wodehouse.

The original concept of Ask Jeeves was to allow users to get answers to questions in everyday, natural language, and traditional keyword searching. Throughout its history, Ask was particularly well known for its answer functionality on the topics of mathematics, vocabulary, and unit conversion. Authors also contributed general articles about various other topics, similar to an encyclopedia. As other InterActiveCorp publications were gradually connected with the Ask software, articles on thousands of topics became accessible.