Richard Skrenta, born on June 6, 1967, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a distinguished American computer programmer and a prominent Silicon Valley entrepreneur. His career spans several foundational moments in computing history, from pioneering early virus development to innovating web search technologies.

Skrenta's early ingenuity became evident in 1982 when, as a 15-year-old, he created the Elk Cloner program for Apple II systems. Often regarded as one of the very first widely disseminating self-replicating computer viruses, Elk Cloner spread via infected floppy disks, displaying a short poem on the 50th boot-up. While largely harmless and created as a prank, its rapid spread showcased the nascent potential—and risks—of self-replicating code, marking a significant, albeit unplanned, milestone in the evolution of computer security.

A Career in Tech Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Beyond his early exploits, Skrenta established himself as a respected figure in the tech industry. His professional journey includes roles at major technology companies such as Apple Inc. and Sun Microsystems, contributing to foundational software development. This experience laid the groundwork for his ventures into entrepreneurship within Silicon Valley, a hub of technological innovation and startup culture.

Before conceiving blekko, Skrenta served as the CEO of Topix, a widely used news aggregation website. This role honed his expertise in managing large-scale information platforms and understanding user behavior, insights that would prove invaluable for his subsequent projects.

The Vision Behind Blekko: A New Era of Web Search

Richard Skrenta is perhaps most renowned for founding the web search engine blekko. Launched in 2010, blekko emerged during a period dominated by established search giants, with a bold vision to challenge the status quo by delivering a higher quality, spam-free search experience. Its core differentiating feature was the introduction of "slashtags."

• Slashtags Explained: Slashtags allowed users to curate their search results by adding specific, trusted sources or categories (e.g., "/health," "/blogs," "/cooking") directly into their query. This innovative approach empowered users to filter out low-quality content and focus on expert-selected or community-vetted information, providing a more relevant and refined search outcome.
• Combating Search Spam: blekko's mission was fundamentally about combating the increasing prevalence of spam, content farms, and irrelevant results that plagued traditional search engines. By emphasizing human curation and explicit source selection, blekko aimed to bring more editorial control and trust back into web search.
• Acquisition by IBM Watson: In 2015, blekko was acquired by IBM. The acquisition was primarily driven by IBM's interest in blekko's sophisticated web crawling technology, its extensive curated data, and its expertise in classifying web content. These assets were integrated into the IBM Watson Group, enhancing Watson's capabilities in cognitive computing, natural language processing, and data analysis for enterprise solutions, demonstrating the long-term value of Skrenta's innovation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Richard Skrenta and Blekko

Who is Richard Skrenta?

Richard Skrenta is an American computer programmer and Silicon Valley entrepreneur, notable for creating the early computer virus Elk Cloner and the innovative web search engine blekko.

What is Elk Cloner?

Elk Cloner was a self-replicating program created by Richard Skrenta in 1982 for Apple II systems, widely recognized as one of the first computer viruses to spread extensively. It was a prank that demonstrated early viral propagation.

What was blekko?

blekko was a web search engine founded by Richard Skrenta in 2010. It distinguished itself by using "slashtags" to offer human-curated, spam-free search results, allowing users to narrow searches to trusted sources.

What happened to blekko?

blekko was acquired by IBM in 2015. Its technology, particularly its web crawling and content classification capabilities, was integrated into the IBM Watson Group to enhance cognitive computing and data analysis initiatives.