05-05-2025
Brits are only just realising sad reason why 'Ask Jeeves' disappeared
Ask Jeeves was a popular question-answering service that was launched in 1996, and quickly became a household name, but the "Jeeves" name was phased out in 2006
If you're a '90s kid, then you're bound to remember the days of Ask Jeeves before Google took over our screens. Launched in 1996 by entrepreneurs Garrett Gruener and David Warthen in Berkeley, California, the question-answering platform fast became a household name.
It was Gary Chevsky who brought the software to life, although the actual development of the early website was the brainchild of Warthen, alongside Chevsky, Justin Grant and other key players. Who could forget that avuncular virtual butler Jeeves, who helped us trawl through the web for answers?
Jeeves might even be considered a sort of trailblazer before Google stepped in. Despite being an internet staple for the better part of a decade, his departure from the limelight was notably understated.
A Reddit post recently reignited the discussion, prompting users to reminisce. It read: "What ever happened to just Ask Jeeves? I used just Ask Jeeves all the time. Is that what Siri took the place of?"
Curiosity among the online community soared with the Reddit query, leading to a flurry of theories about what happened to the iconic search buddy. Responses flooded in, with a mix of nostalgia and speculation.
One person quipped: "Nobody thought to ask how is Jeeves." Another added: "They rebranded to
There were those who looked back fondly, as one user said: "I always thought that 'Jeeves' was such an easy thing to remember when I was learning about computers."
The "Jeeves" moniker was dropped in 2006 as the brand pivoted to focus on its search engine, which boasted a unique algorithm. However, by late 2010, it found itself struggling against more popular search engines like Google.
This led to the company outsourcing its web search technology and returning to its roots as a question-and-answer site. In its prime, "Jeeves" was the name of a "gentleman's personal gentleman", or valet, who could provide answers to any query posed.
The character's name was inspired by Jeeves, the valet of Bertie Wooster in P. G. Wodehouse's fictional works. The initial concept was to allow users to get answers to everyday questions using natural language and traditional keyword searching.
In 2006, the brand decided to drop the "Jeeves" name and rebrand the search engine simply as "Ask." However, this didn't last long before it was discontinued.
In 2010, scrapped its search function, unable to compete with more popular search engines like Google. Ultimately, it seems Jeeves couldn't keep pace with the competition.
A summary by EN Gadget reads: "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
"The company attempted to invade Yahoo Answers' territory by focusing on a real-person QandA site, but ended its foray into search engineering in 2010. is ranked No. 128 in the world, according to Alexa."
