You Can't Ask Jeeves

Barry Diller has decided to let the butler go. He's retiring this symbol of 'Net Past, the Ask Jeeves cartoon character. The Street reports...

"Jeeves is a reminder of the "playful, early days of the Internet," said Rob Frankel, a Los Angles-based branding consultant. "A brand is not doing its job unless it can show it's the ultimate solution," he said.

Only last month, Ask Jeeves CEO Steve Berkowitz said at a conference in San Jose, Calif., that the butler was "safe for the moment," CNet reported. At the time, Berkowitz noted that Jeeves was looking leaner than he had in some years.

But physical fitness aside, Diller said Wednesday that the butler has outlived his usefulness. "I don't see many tears on the floor," he joked.