Steve Berkowitz Named Chief Executive Officer of Ask Jeeves, Inc.

Updated on Monday, November 3rd, 2003 at 12:00 am

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Steve Berkowitz Named Chief Executive Officer of Ask Jeeves, Inc.

President of Ask Jeeves Appointed to Lead Next Phase of Company Growth;
Battle Named Executive Chairman of the Board

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Ask Jeeves, Inc.
(Nasdaq: ASKJ), a provider of Web-wide search, announced today that Steve
Berkowitz, current president of Ask Jeeves, has been appointed CEO of the
Company, effective January 1, 2004. Berkowitz will succeed the current CEO,
A. George "Skip" Battle who has been named Executive Chairman of Ask Jeeves’
Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2004. Battle will replace
Garrett Gruener as Chairman. Gruener, a co-founder of Ask Jeeves, will
continue to be an active board member.

As CEO, Berkowitz will continue Battle’s efforts to grow Ask Jeeves’
market share and enhance its search technology assets. Berkowitz has played an
integral role in the turnaround and growth of Ask Jeeves since he joined the
Company in 2001. Berkowitz’s accomplishments include the strategic acquisition
of Teoma, Inc. in September 2001, and its successful integration into Ask
Jeeves. Teoma is the foundation of Ask Jeeves’ search technology capabilities
and is heralded as one of the most sophisticated search technologies on the
Web. Berkowitz also led the acquisition and integration of Ask Jeeves’ UK
partnership into the Company in February of 2002.

Berkowitz applied his background in consumer behavior to revamp Ask.com,
the Company’s flagship search site, to deliver a smarter, more intuitive
search experience. These efforts have contributed to a steady increase in
market share, while site traffic, user frequency, and monetization of search
queries have grown to all-time highs.

"Steve understands the search marketplace better than anyone I know,"
stated Battle. "This understanding, combined with his outstanding operational
record, his knowledge of consumer behavior and his strong rapport with Ask
Jeeves’ management team, makes Steve the ideal person to lead Ask Jeeves’
efforts to become one of the world’s leading information delivery platforms. I
look forward to working closely with him in his new role and being an active
part of Ask Jeeves’ next stage of growth."

"Skip has been a guiding force in creating a strong foundation for Ask
Jeeves and he will continue to be active in the strategic decisions and
direction of the company, "said Berkowitz. "Under his helm, we have built a
strong management team, redirected our product efforts to deliver world-class
search sites and have achieved what we expect will be sustained profitability.
I am excited by the opportunity to leverage his wisdom and advice as we
continue to drive towards growing Ask Jeeves’ market share."

Berkowitz was named President of Ask Jeeves in July 2003. From May 2001 to
July 2003, Berkowitz served as president of Ask Jeeves Web Properties, a
division that accounted for a majority of the Company’s revenue. From December
1999 to May 2001, Berkowitz was CEO of Intermap Systems, an on-line content
provider focused on consumer healthcare information. Berkowitz previously
served as the president and COO of IDG Books where he was responsible for
supervising all company functions. He also served as CFO of IDG Books,
leading the company’s initial public offering in 1998. During his tenure, IDG
Book’s revenues grew from $30 million a year to more than $200 million. He was
also responsible for helping expand the ‘Dummies’ series of book titles,
growing it from a product line solely focused on technical computer support to
a consumer brand that addresses diverse consumer interests. In addition, under
his leadership, IDG acquired and integrated many companies, including such
well-known brands as CliffNotes(TM), Frommer’s(TM) travel guides, J.K.
Lasser’s(TM) tax guides and Betty Crocker(R) cookbooks.

Ask Jeeves’ Board of Directors includes Skip Battle, Garrett Gruener,
David Carlick, Joshua Goldman, James Kirsner and Geoffrey Yang. Berkowitz will
join the Board of Directors on January 1, 2004. Battle, in his role as
Executive Chairman, expects to remain involved in strategic planning, merger
and acquisition activity, middle management training and external outreach.

Conference Call Scheduled for 11 a.m. Eastern time on November 3, 2003

Ask Jeeves will hold a conference call to discuss the promotion of Steve
Berkowitz to CEO at 11 a.m. Eastern time on November 3, 2003. Investors can
listen to the conference call on the Internet at http://www.ask.com/investor. To
listen to the live call, dial 800-240-7305 for domestic callers and
303-262-2130 for international callers. Or, go to the Web site
http://www.ask.com/investor at least fifteen minutes prior to the start time to
download and install the necessary audio software. For those unable to listen
to the live broadcast, a replay will be available beginning one hour after the
conclusion of the call for a period of three months at http://www.ask.com/investor.

About Ask Jeeves, Inc.

Ask Jeeves, Inc. is a provider of Web-wide search technologies, providing
consumers with authoritative and fast ways to find relevant information to
their everyday searches. Ask Jeeves deploys its search technologies on Ask
Jeeves (Ask.com and Ask.co.uk), Teoma.com, and Ask Jeeves for Kids
(AJKids.com). In addition, to its Web sites, Ask Jeeves syndicates its
monetized search technology and advertising units to a network of affiliate
partners. Ask Jeeves is based in Emeryville, California, with offices in New
York, Boston, New Jersey, Los Angeles and London.

For more information, visit http://www.Ask.com or call 510-985-7400.

NOTE: Ask Jeeves, Ask.com and Teoma are registered trademarks of Ask
Jeeves, Inc. All other company names or product names are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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