WebProNews

Ask CEO Jim Safka has suddenly decided to step down from his role with the company. He has only been there since January 2008.

In a letter to the Ask staff, Safka said:

"This choice was not made lightly ... When my brother John passed away unexpectedly less than a month ago, I began re-evaluating my personal and professional priorities and decided it was the right time for me to make a change ... And whatever I do next will be smaller and more local, enabling me to have a better personal balance."



According to the Wall Street Journal, Safka is going to become the CEO of online textbook rental company Chegg. This information comes from "a person familiar with the matter." Ask president Scott Garell will apparently be taking over some of Safka's duties at least for the time being.

Safka has overseen Ask.com's global operations and has also held the title of CEO of Primal Ventures, a new-venture entity that identifies seeds and incubates business opportunities for Ask.com's parent company IAC.

He has also served as CEO of Match.com, another IAC property. He held that title from 2004 to 2006. Prior to that he held positions with AT&T, E*Trade, Intuit, Warner Bros, and Paramount.