Jeff Black

Timeline

1. 1984–1998

   General manager at AltaVista

   After studies in business, computer science and artificial intelligence programming, he joins Digital Equipment Corporation in 1984 and works there as a company leader for fourteen years. At Digital, he joins the team that develops AltaVista; the search engine launches in December 1995, and he serves as its general manager.

2. 1993–1999

   Local search and iAtlas

   In 1993, he asks Digital colleagues how many businesses are online; no one has real numbers, so he uses network-searching technology and corporate-information databases in his spare time to assemble the first detailed directory. In 1998, he establishes Laurel-based iAtlas and becomes chairman and CEO of Internet Marketing Inc., whose services include web maps and Yellow Pages local search. The database and search engine iAtlas builds let users find businesses by location and sector; in August 1999, Ameritech's Yellow Pages search engine begins using the iAtlas Registry.

3. 1999–2001

   Hotels.com booking system

   For Hotels.com, Black builds a booking system with maps and hand-codes more than 40,000 hotels into its database. He sells Resorts.com in 1999 for $950,000 and Hotels.com in 2001 for $11 million.

4. 1999–2004

   iAtlas acquisition and patents

   In 1999, Black sells iAtlas to AltaVista for $25 million and then goes to work for AltaVista. With Jason Titus and Ira Woodhead, he co-invents two entity-search patents filed in August 1999 and granted in 2003 and 2004. The patents are first assigned to iAtlas and transfer to AltaVista through mergers; one identifies an entity controlling a web address and categorizes entities by criteria, while the other adds entity data to search results.

5. 2005–2007

   TalkPlus phone lines

   He founds the San Mateo startup TalkPlus in 2005; its service uses voice over IP and lets one handset carry multiple phone lines. In 2007, Michael Toepel replaces him as CEO, and Black becomes chief strategy officer.

6. By 2009

   Cancer foundation president

   By 2009, he serves as president and director of the Silicon Valley Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit that researches cancer causes and cures and provides information on treatment.

7. 2016

   International Monetary Investments

   In 2016, Black forms International Monetary Investments LLC and licenses imi.com to the company in December 2016.

8. As of October 2026

   Founder of Hotels.com

   As of October 2026, he is the founder of Hotels.com.