CEO of Ask Leaves to Join MSN, Steve Berkowitz Leaves Ask.com for Microsoft Options

[rustybrick]

http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/060422-045733

I am shocked! What are your thoughts on Ask's CEO leaving to go to Microsoft?

[EGOL]

Wow, they must have offered him the big bucks.

[bragadocchio]

Really a surprise to see the announcement of the move.

I don't know enough about Steve Berkowitz to understand completely what Ask is losing, and what MSN is gaining.

His Ask bio snippet (no telling how long that will remain there) tells us:

In September 2001, he made the critical decision to acquire Teoma Technologies and integrate their unique approach to Web-wide search into the Ask Jeeves flagship properties

He's also credited with a lot of IDG's success beyond the Dummies books, including "acquisitions of Cliffs Notes, Frommers Travel Guides, Betty Crocker Cookbooks and JK Lasser Tax Guides."

I didn't watch/listen to this interview of Steve Berkowitz by Chris Pirillo yet, from last August, but if I post it I won;t have to remember the link:

Interview with Ask CEO Steve Berkowitz

This Search Engine Roundtable post, on an August Keynote Presentation provides some nice thoughtful answers to questions posed by Danny Sullivan:

Keynote Conversation with Ask Jeeves's Steve Berkowitz

This 2004 article goes into a lot more depth:

Ask Jeeves CEO: Technology Matters in Web Search

Liked this part of it:

I think you hit it right with the word "differentiation," when you realize that there's only three search technologies left out there today. There's Yahoo Search, which is Inktomi, there's Google and there's Teoma. And then there's going to be MSN at some point in time.

I can't imagine that he would be able to foresee that when MSN was ready to rise, that he would be the one in charge. From what I've just seen and read, it looks like it is going to be a pretty good move for MSN.

[_Mike_]

WOW this is really shcking.. but onsidering how much traffic ask sends to my sites (well no visitor till now lol) it can be understood.

tbh i can't figure out what ask has to offer that other search engines don't...