Aardvark has, in a sense, returned to its roots. Or in other words: Two of the four men who created the social search engine are former Googlers, and now, it’s been confirmed that the search giant’s acquired Aardvark.
Details regarding timeframes and the fate of Aardvark’s technology and employees are sadly lacking at this point. “[A] source that has been briefed on the deal” just puts the purchase price at “around $50 million,” according to Michael Arrington.
Still, we can at least say a fair amount regarding what Aardvark was like before Google pulled out its checkbook. Aardvark essentially operated by posing different users’ questions to one another. The trick was that it would try to seek out the most qualified individuals to answer a given query, and then deliver a personal response to the original person.
Aardvark had the social bases pretty well covered, boasting availability via email, instant messenger, the iPhone, and Twitter. It was receiving a lot of positive attention, too, with the New York Times checking in on a regular basis and Time Magazine, USA Today, and PBS all taking a look.
As for the business side of things, Aardvark employed about 20 people, and had received financial support from August Capital.
We’ll try to relay additional details when they become available.
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