Hunch (website)
{{Short description|Recommendation website}}
{{About|Hunch.com|Hunch.net|John Langford (computer scientist)}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Hunch
| logo = Hunch.com_logo.png
| logo_padding =
| logo_alt = Hunch Logo
| type = Subsidiary
| industry = Recommender system
| fate = {{plainlist|
- 2011: acquired by eBay
- 2014: tech subsumed in eBay platform
}}
| founded = 2007
| founder = Caterina Fake and Chris Dixon
| defunct = March 2014
| hq_location_city = New York City, United States
| parent = eBay
| website = hunch.com
}}
Hunch was an American company founded in 2007 that offered product recommendation, through its proprietary website, based on users' interest. Hunch launched its website in June 2009. In November 2011, Hunch was acquired by eBay for US$80 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|80|2011|r=1|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}).
While the technology continues to be used in eBay's e-commerce platform, the public facing website for Hunch was shuttered in March 2014.
History
Hunch was co-founded in 2007 by Caterina Fake (co-founder of Flickr),{{cite web |title=Hunch: Flickr Founder to Turn Indecision into Profits |date=March 28, 2009 |first=Ben |last=Parr |website=Mashable |url=http://mashable.com/2009/03/28/hunch/ |access-date=2009-04-12}} and Chris Dixon, working with a small team of eight fellow "MIT nerds with backgrounds in computer science and math".{{cite web |title=The Hunch Team |date=2009-06-17 |website=Hunch.com |url=http://www.hunch.com/info/the-hunch-team/ |access-date=2022-10-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617174600/http://www.hunch.com:80/info/the-hunch-team/ |archive-date=2009-06-17}} The operation, headquartered in New York City,{{cite web |title=About Hunch.com |date=2009-06-19 |website=Hunch.com |url=http://www.hunch.com/info/about/ |access-date=2022-10-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619071550/http://www.hunch.com/info/about/ |archive-date=2009-06-19}} developed a website that offered product recommendations based on users' interest.{{Cite news |title=eBay Buys Hunch To Improve Long-Tail Shopping Recommendations |first=Eric |last=Eldon |date=2011-11-21 |work=TechCrunch |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/11/21/ebayshunch/ |access-date=2018-06-24}}{{cite news |title=Hunch Takes A Deep Data Dive On The Tastes And Interests Of eBay Users |last=Rao |first=Leena |date=2012-02-06 |work=TechCrunch |url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/02/06/hunch-takes-a-deep-data-dive-on-the-tastes-and-interests-of-ebay-users/ |access-date=27 May 2013}}{{cite web |title=Hunch: A Psychosocial Divinatory Machine for the Masses |first=Woody |last=Evans |author-link=Woody Evans |date=2009-06-25 |website=Information Today |url=http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/NewsBreaks/Hunch-A-PsychoSocial-Divinatory-Machine-for-the-Masses-54873.asp |access-date=2022-10-26}}
Hunch started a private preview period in December 2008, with a private beta in March 2009.{{cite web |title=Official Forum Thread: wikipedia article about hunch could use some improvement! |first=Caterina |last=Fake |author-link=Caterina Fake |date=2010-02-25 |website=Hunch.com |url=http://hunch.com/forums/ideas/wikipedia-article-about-hunch-could-use-some/ |access-date=2010-03-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228071542/http://hunch.com/forums/ideas/wikipedia-article-about-hunch-could-use-some/ |archive-date=2010-02-28 |quote=preview in March, and launched publicly June 15, 2009}} Hunch launched its website in June 2009.{{cite web |title=Hunch launches today |first=Chris |last=Caceres |date=2009-06-15 |website=VatorNews |url=http://vator.tv/news/show/2009-06-15-hunch-launches-today |access-date=2011-07-14}}
In December 2009, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales joined Hunch.com as a board member and advisor.{{cite web |title=What's new for me: Hunch |first=Jimmy |last=Wales |author-link=Jimmy Wales |date=December 7, 2009 |url=http://blog.jimmywales.com/2009/12/07/whats-new-for-me-hunch/ |access-date=December 7, 2009 |publisher=blog.jimmywales.com}}
In February 2010, the website had 1.2 million unique visitors.{{cite web |title=Hunch |website=Mashable |url=http://mashable.com/category/hunch/ |access-date=27 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127171311/http://mashable.com/category/hunch/ |archive-date=2013-01-27}} In January 2011, Hunch was redesigned from decision tree system and topic specific questions to tagging and product referral.{{cite web |title=Goodbye topic-specific questions, hello tags |first=Jon |last=Russell |website=Blog.hunch.com |date=2011-01-31 |url=http://blog.hunch.com/?p=36614 |access-date=2013-07-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215010332/http://blog.hunch.com/?p=36614 |archive-date=2011-02-15}}
In November 2011, Hunch was acquired by eBay Inc. for US$80 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|80|2011|r=1|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}).{{Cite news |title=eBay Buys Hunch for $80 Million |last=Martin |first=Adam |date=2011-11-21 |work=The Atlantic |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/11/ebay-buys-hunch-80-million/335240/ |access-date=2018-06-24}}{{Cite press release |title=eBay Acquires Recommendation Engine Hunch.com |first=Johnna |last=Hoff |date=2011-11-21 |website=Business Wire |agency=eBay |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20111121005831/en/eBay-Acquires-Recommendation-Engine-Hunch.com |access-date=2018-06-24}} eBay planned to use Hunch's recommendation engine technology to improve how their own e-commerce platform offered users items to purchase. Specifically, eBay intended to use the Hunch technology to make non-obvious purchase suggestions.
After its acquisition by eBay, co-founder Chris Dixon remained as head of the operating business within eBay. eBay merged the approximately 20 employees at Hunch with the approximately 50 employees on the existing eBay data science team, under Dixon's department.
While the underlying recommendation engine technology remains in use at eBay, the public-facing website for the independent Hunch recommendation engine was closed in March 2014.