The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses · chapter 6 · id the-lean-startup-c6-05-aardvark-acquired-by-google-fo

“Aardvark (acquired by Google for $50M) is a successful example of the Wizard of Oz MVP approach, where human operators simulated an AI-powered Q&A service before building the technology.”

contestedconfidence: high⚠ extracted by pipeline, re-audit pending

Receipts

TechCrunch -- Google Acquires Aardvark (2010)FLAGGED: dead link (404)

Google acquired Aardvark for approximately $50 million in February 2010. The service used a social Q&A model where questions were routed to friends-of-friends.

Killed by Google -- Aardvarksource alive

Google shut down Aardvark in September 2011, less than 2 years after the $50M acquisition. The product was discontinued and the team was reassigned.

Wired -- Google Kills AardvarkFLAGGED: dead link (404)

Aardvark was shut down as part of Google's 'fall cleaning' under Larry Page's return as CEO, alongside Google Buzz and other underperforming products.

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