PeopleofSuperintelligence

Builder

Bob Goodson

Bob Goodson builds AI products that help businesses analyze startup and technology information. He earned an English literature and philosophy degree at the University of East Anglia, pursued language-theory research at Oxford, and co-founded Oxford Entrepreneurs in 2002. At Yelp, he was the first employee and sketched a like-button idea; he later led YouNoodle’s AI-powered Startup Predictor. He launched Quid in 2010 and served on the World Economic Forum’s Council on the Future of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics from 2016 to 2018. He co-authored Like: The Button That Changed the World in April 2025 and, as of October 2026, is President and Founder of Quid, whose AI models are used by a third of the Fortune 50.

Now at
Quid
Badges

Timeline

  1. 2002

    Co-founding Oxford Entrepreneurs

    In 2002, he earns an English literature and philosophy degree at the University of East Anglia and co-founds Oxford Entrepreneurs. At Oxford, he pursues graduate research in language theory and shapes the society to connect scientists with business-minded students.

  2. 2004

    Joining Yelp

    In April 2004, he joins Max Levchin at Midtown Doornail as a product manager. He becomes Yelp’s first employee in 2004.

  3. 2005

    Sketching the like button

    At Yelp, he sketches a thumbs-up and thumbs-down icon in May 2005 for users to react to restaurant reviews.

  4. 2008

    The Startup Predictor

    In 2008, he leads YouNoodle as CEO while its Startup Predictor uses data from more than 3,000 sources and AI to estimate startup success. The model weighs teams, finances, concepts, and advisers.

  5. 2010

    Launching Quid

    In September 2010, he launches Quid, a data platform for mapping technology sectors. Its software uses language and semantic processing to analyze and visualize relationships in large text collections.

  6. 2016–2018

    A WEF council term

    He serves on the World Economic Forum’s Council on the Future of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics from 2016 to 2018.

  7. April 2025

    Writing about the like button

    In April 2025, he co-authors Like: The Button That Changed the World, a book about the origins of the like button and how innovation happens.

  8. As of October 2026

    Leading Quid

    As of October 2026, he is President and Founder of Quid, whose AI models are used by a third of the Fortune 50.

Career

  1. NowQuidPresident and Founder
  2. 2016–2018World Economic ForumCouncil member
  3. From 2008YouNoodleCEO
  4. 2004Midtown DoornailProduct Manager
  5. From 2004YelpFirst employee
  6. From 2002Oxford EntrepreneursCo-founder

Education

  1. 2002University of East AngliaEnglish literature and philosophy degree
  2. University of Oxford

From the biography.

  1. The median h-index is 54 at universities and 19 at frontier AI labsIncludes University of Oxford. The median h-index is 54 at universities and 19 at frontier AI labs. We compare publishing careers, citations and moves to estimate how universities and frontier labs contribute to AI research.
  2. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes University of Oxford. Our estimates of combined and median h-index at AI organizations, using current affiliations and OpenAlex records.
  3. Stanford University trained or employed 26 of the 108 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes University of Oxford. Stanford University trained or employed 26 of the 108 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and employment links for major-prize and best-paper winners.
  4. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes University of Oxford. Our estimates of where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led, from education records in cited biographies.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Bob Goodson yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Bob Goodson en.wikipedia.org. Checked 18 October 2026.
  2. Bob Goodson | Making Stuff with Bits and Bytes since 1987 bobgoodson.com. Checked 18 October 2026.
  3. The (Highly Controversial) YouNoodle Startup Valuation Predictor Is Coming techcrunch.com. Checked 18 October 2026.
  4. Quid Emerges From Stealth To Map The World's Technologies techcrunch.com. Checked 18 October 2026.
  5. Press Kit | Bob Goodson bobgoodson.com. Checked 18 October 2026.