Infoseek

Infoseek was an American internet search engine founded in 1994 by Steve Kirsch and operated initially by Infoseek Corporation from Sunnyvale, California. It emerged during the early commercial development of the World Wide Web, when search services were experimenting with different revenue models, indexing methods, and relationships with browser companies and online publishers. The service first launched in January 1994 as a pay-for-use search product. That model was abandoned in August of the same year, and Infoseek was relaunched as a search service in February 1995. Its most important early distribution agreement came in 1995, when Infoseek became the default search engine associated with Netscape Navigator. The arrangement gave the company substantial exposure while Netscape remained one of the dominant gateways to the web. Infoseek went public on Nasdaq on June 11, 1996, trading under the symbol SEEK. During the same period, the company expanded beyond basic page retrieval. In cooperation with Aptex Software, then a division of HNC Software, it developed UltraMatch, an early behavioral-targeting system based on Aptex's SelectCast neural-network technology. The system was announced in 1996 and released in 1997, illustrating Infoseek's attempt to build advertising technology as well as search technology. The brand reached significant web traffic in the late 1990s. It was reported to have 7.3 million visitors per month by September 1997 and ranked among the most visited websites in 1996, 1997, and 1998. In April 1998, Infoseek acquired the WebChat Broadcasting System, adding a community and communications property to its portfolio. Infoseek's corporate direction changed after The Walt Disney Company purchased a 43 percent stake in 1998. Disney was also acquiring Starwave Corporation, whose assets included ESPN.com and ABCNews.com. In 1999, Disney acquired the remaining Infoseek shares and combined Infoseek and Starwave-related properties into the GO.com network. The transaction shifted Infoseek from an independent search company toward a component of a broader branded entertainment and portal strategy. The standalone service was discontinued in February 2001, when Disney announced that it would cancel the service and lay off its staff. A management buyout effort led by Infoseek employees, including Bernt Wahl and Andy Bensky, reportedly sought to acquire the business and retain its software and personnel, but Disney rejected the attempt. Infoseek's enterprise-search technology had already been separated from the consumer brand: Ultraseek Server was sold to Inktomi in 2000, later transferred to Verity in 2002, and subsequently absorbed into Autonomy's IDOL product platform after Verity's acquisition in 2005. The Infoseek name disappeared from North American consumer search, with infoseek.com redirecting to go.com. The name survived in other markets, notably through Infoseek Japan, which Rakuten agreed to acquire in 2000, and through Australian and Japanese web properties. Rakuten Infoseek ultimately operated as a portal rather than as the former independent American search engine. The later infoseek.ai domain represents a separate company and is not the same entity.

Infoseek was founded in 1994 by Steve Kirsch and was initially operated by Infoseek Corporation in Sunnyvale, California. Its first commercial model required users to pay for access, but that approach lasted only until August 1994. The service was relaunched in February 1995 as Infoseek Search, aligning the company with the emerging expectation that general web search would be freely available and supported by advertising or commercial distribution. A major early growth opportunity came in 1995, when Infoseek reached an agreement with Netscape to serve as the default search engine for Netscape Navigator. Because Netscape's browser was a leading method of reaching the web, the agreement gave Infoseek broad consumer visibility. The company subsequently became one of the prominent search properties of the mid-1990s and completed an initial public offering on Nasdaq on June 11, 1996, under the symbol SEEK. Infoseek also invested in technology intended to improve the commercial value of its audience. In 1996 it announced a development relationship with Aptex Software, then part of HNC Software. The partnership produced UltraMatch, a behavioral-targeting system released in 1997 and based on Aptex's SelectCast neural-network technology. This work made Infoseek an early search company to develop targeting methods that used observed user behavior in advertising decisions. The service achieved substantial audience scale during the late-1990s web boom. By September 1997, Infoseek was reported to receive 7.3 million visitors per month. It ranked as the fifth most visited website in 1996, seventh in 1997, and tenth in 1998 according to the cited historical account. In April 1998, it acquired WebChat Broadcasting System, extending the business into an online communications and community property. Infoseek's independence ended through a sequence of Disney transactions. Disney purchased a 43 percent interest in 1998 and incorporated Infoseek into its expanding internet and media activities. Disney acquired Starwave during the same general period; Starwave brought properties such as ESPN.com and ABCNews.com. In 1999, Disney bought the Infoseek shares it did not already own. The companies and properties were organized into the GO.com network, making Infoseek part of a larger portal strategy rather than a standalone search-focused public company. The consumer brand was ultimately not retained in North America. In February 2001, Disney decided to shut down the service and lay off its staff. Bernt Wahl, Andy Bensky, and 15 software engineers who had worked at Infoseek attempted a management buyout, but Disney rejected the proposal. This ended the operational life of the original American consumer service. Infoseek's enterprise-search assets followed a separate path. Ultraseek Server technology was sold to Inktomi in 2000 and renamed Inktomi Enterprise Search. In December 2002, before Yahoo acquired Inktomi, the product suite was sold to Verity, which restored the Ultraseek name and continued development. Verity was acquired by Autonomy in December 2005. Under Autonomy, Ultraseek was integrated as a component of the IDOL platform and continued for a period as an entry-level keyword-based site-search offering. After Hewlett-Packard acquired Autonomy in October 2011, the technology remained part of that broader product lineage. The Infoseek name continued in limited regional forms. Rakuten agreed in November 2000 to acquire Infoseek Japan for $81 million, and the Japanese service became Rakuten Infoseek, a web portal. Infoseek-branded sites also remained associated with Japan and Australia, while infoseek.com redirected to go.com and the North American consumer brand ceased to be used. The later infoseek.ai website belongs to a different company and should not be treated as a continuation of the Infoseek search engine.

• 2011

  Autonomy acquired by Hewlett-Packard

  [1]Infoseeken.wikipedia.org

  Hewlett-Packard acquires Autonomy, extending the corporate lineage of the former Ultraseek technology.

• 2005

  Verity acquired by Autonomy

  [1]Infoseeken.wikipedia.org

  Autonomy acquires Verity, after which Ultraseek becomes a component of the IDOL platform.

• 2002

  Ultraseek returns to Verity

  [1]Infoseeken.wikipedia.org

  Verity acquires the Ultraseek product suite from Inktomi and restores the Ultraseek brand.

• 2001

  Standalone service discontinued

  [1]Infoseeken.wikipedia.org

  Disney cancels the Infoseek service and lays off its staff in February.

• 2000

  Ultraseek Server sold to Inktomi

  [1]Infoseeken.wikipedia.org

  Infoseek's enterprise-search software is transferred to Inktomi and renamed Inktomi Enterprise Search.

• 2000

  Rakuten agrees to acquire Infoseek Japan

  [1]Infoseeken.wikipedia.org

  Rakuten agrees to acquire the Japanese Infoseek operation for $81 million.

• 1999

  Infoseek becomes part of GO.com

  [1]Infoseeken.wikipedia.org

  Disney purchases the remaining Infoseek stock and combines Infoseek and Starwave properties within GO.com.

• 1998

  Disney takes a major stake

  [1]Infoseeken.wikipedia.org

  Disney purchases 43 percent of Infoseek and begins integrating the brand into its internet and media portfolio.

• 1998

  WebChat acquisition

  [1]Infoseeken.wikipedia.org

  Infoseek acquires WebChat Broadcasting System in April.

• 1997

  UltraMatch released

  [1]Infoseeken.wikipedia.org

  Infoseek and Aptex release UltraMatch behavioral-targeting technology using SelectCast neural-network software.

• 1996

  Nasdaq initial public offering

  [1]Infoseeken.wikipedia.org

  Infoseek begins trading on Nasdaq under SEEK on June 11.

• 1995

  Search relaunch and Netscape distribution

  [1]Infoseeken.wikipedia.org

  Infoseek relaunches as a search engine in February and reaches a default-search arrangement with Netscape Navigator.

• 1994

  Infoseek launches

  [1]Infoseeken.wikipedia.org

  Infoseek begins as a pay-for-use search service in January, abandons that model in August, and later prepares a relaunch.

An early mass-market web search and portal brand that combined consumer search, browser distribution, online media integration, and advertising technology.

• Web search engine · 1994

  Infoseek Search

  Infoseek's core consumer web-search service. It began as a paid-access offering in 1994, was relaunched as a search engine in 1995, and gained distribution through Netscape Navigator. The service was later incorporated into Disney's GO.com strategy and discontinued as a standalone North American product in 2001.

• Behavioral advertising technology · 1997

  UltraMatch

  An advertising-targeting system developed by Infoseek with Aptex Software. Released in 1997, UltraMatch used Aptex's SelectCast neural-network technology to support behavioral targeting, making it an early example of search-company investment in audience segmentation and ad relevance.

• Enterprise search software

  Ultraseek Server

  Infoseek's enterprise-search software product. It was sold to Inktomi in 2000, renamed Inktomi Enterprise Search, and transferred to Verity in 2002. Verity restored the Ultraseek name, after which the technology was incorporated into Autonomy's IDOL platform.

• Web portal · 2000

  Rakuten Infoseek

  The Japanese successor portal using the Infoseek name after Rakuten agreed to acquire Infoseek Japan in 2000. It represents a regional continuation of the name rather than the original American standalone search operation.

• 2001

  Closure of the standalone consumer serviceStrategy

  Background

  After Disney's integration of Infoseek into GO.com, the standalone search brand was no longer retained as a North American consumer service.

  Action taken

  Disney cancelled the service and laid off Infoseek staff in February.

  Aftermath

  An employee-led management buyout attempt failed, and the original American Infoseek operation ended.

  Source

• 2000

  Transfer of enterprise-search technology to InktomiM&A

  Background

  Infoseek's enterprise-search software represented a distinct technology business from its consumer search portal.

  Action taken

  Ultraseek Server was sold to Inktomi and renamed Inktomi Enterprise Search.

  Aftermath

  The product continued through subsequent ownership by Verity and Autonomy rather than under the consumer Infoseek brand.

  Source

• 1999

  Disney acquires the remaining Infoseek sharesM&A

  Background

  Disney already held a substantial minority interest in Infoseek and was consolidating a portfolio of online media assets.

  Action taken

  Disney acquired the remaining Infoseek stock and combined the company and related properties with Starwave assets in the GO.com network.

  Aftermath

  Infoseek ceased to operate as an independent publicly traded search company.

  Source

• 1998

  Disney investment in InfoseekM&A

  Background

  Disney was expanding its internet and media presence and was also acquiring Starwave properties.

  Action taken

  Disney purchased a 43 percent stake in Infoseek.

  Aftermath

  Infoseek was incorporated into Disney's broader internet strategy and later combined with Starwave properties in GO.com.

  Source

• 1995

  Netscape default-search agreementStrategy

  Background

  Netscape Navigator was one of the principal gateways through which consumers accessed the early web.

  Action taken

  Infoseek became the default search engine associated with Netscape Navigator.

  Aftermath

  The agreement increased Infoseek's visibility and contributed to its growth as a major mid-1990s search property.

  Source

• 1994

  Abandonment of the paid-search launch modelStrategy

  Background

  Infoseek initially launched as a pay-for-use search service at a time when commercial internet business models were still unsettled.

  Action taken

  The company dropped the paid-access model in August and relaunched its search service in February 1995.

  Aftermath

  The change positioned Infoseek as a more conventional consumer web search service and supported later browser-distribution growth.

  Source

1. 1Infoseeken.wikipedia.org