(There are so many stupid puns available for the asking, so out of respect for my above-average-intelligence audience, I will refrain.)
John Paczkowski of Good Morning Silicon Valley has this to say about AskJeeves:
Jeeves, the P.G. Wodehouse character that’s been the cornerstone of Ask Jeeves’ brand for the past nine years, is out of a job. Speaking at a Goldman Sachs Group investor conference yesterday in New York, Barry Diller, Chairman and CEO of Ask Jeeves’ new owner IAC, said the affable butler’s days at the company are numbered (see “Jeeves! Dammit man, get me my coat and a larger portion of the Internet search market!“). IAC plans to rebrand Ask Jeeves as Ask.com and when it does it will no longer require the services of its longtime mascot. IAC, it seems, feels Jeeves’ butler inhibits how people view its brand (the Jeeves character is often perceived as a “gay butler” in some countries). “Jeeves will disappear, and we will probably be called Ask or Ask.com,” Diller told conference attendees. “Not that I don’t like that butler. He’s actually a thinner butler now.”