Ask.com Returns To It’s Roots

“Everyone at Ask is excited about our clear focus and the trajectory-changing results it will deliver.”
-Jim Safka, CEO of Ask

Ask.com, the fifth largest search engine has given up chasing after Google, the Goliath of search.  Ask is planning on changing its search engine to make it easier to find answers to questions revolving around homework, entertainment, health, etc.  This goes back to the days when Ask was known as Ask Jeeves.

The consequence of shifting to this new strategy is that they need less of a workforce to do it.  Ask is laying off 40 employees out of 500.  Will these laid off employees Twitter the process like former Yahoo! employees?  Maybe.

InterActiveCorp acquired Ask in March 2005.  Ask was valued at $1.85 billion at the time.  Ask has about 4.5% market share for online search.  Google has 58.5% according to the Associated Press.

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