We’re just catching up on some surprising weekend news: Steve Berkowitz, IAC Search & Media CEO (aka the head honcho of Ask.com), will head over to rival MSN starting May 8. He’ll lead their online business group as senior VP, which includes “MSN.com, MSNTV and MSN Internet Access programming, advertising sales, business development, and marketing for Live Platforms, MSN and Windows Live,” according to a Microsoft announcement reprinted by Danny Sullivan.
According to the New York Times, Berkowitz will take up many of the responsibilities – not including product development – that will be vacated with the departure of David Cole, whose sabbatical was announced in February. At Ask.com, current IAC Search & Media president Doug Lebda will assume Berkowitz’s duties.
Berkowitz first garnered attention for helping to build the brand of the “Dummies” book series. Joining Ask in 2001, he’s largely credited with shepherding the site through its transformation from a question-answering service to its current incarnation as a Yahoo/Google-style search engine with a number of tangential features, like map directions and an RSS reader, Bloglines. He’ll have his work cut out for him at MSN, where search share has fallen significantly over the last year and Google continues to dominate.
Update: We just heard from the AP that InterActiveCorp is promoting Jim Lanzone to be Ask.com’s new CEO. Although that doesn’t mean Lanzone’s replacing Berkowitz as IAC Search & Media Head – IAC is still looking to hire someone to fill that post – Doug Lebda calls Lanzone “principally responsible every day for the turnaround of the Ask product and brand over the past several years.” Way to go, Jim!
