Stack Overflow emerged in 2008 as a free, community-driven Q&A platform for developers, countering paid models like Experts Exchange, which had frustrated users by charging for access to user-generated content. Conceived by bloggers Joel Spolsky and Jeff Atwood, Stack Overflow was designed to democratize access to programming knowledge by allowing questions and answers to be freely shared and indexed by search engines, fostering a collaborative environment akin to open-source software. Over the years, Stack Overflow diversified its revenue streams beyond traditional advertising, introducing services like Stack Overflow Careers and enterprise solutions. However, the platform now faces challenges from AI tools such as ChatGPT, which offer rapid, personalized responses and could potentially disrupt the community-based model by reducing engagement and the quality of peer-reviewed content. As AI continues to evolve, Stack Overflow's future hinges on its ability to adapt while maintaining its core mission of open access and community-driven knowledge sharing.