Matt Cutts, Google’s distinguished engineer, who heads the webspam team, is going to take some time off, probably for 3 months starting next week.
The Chief Webspam fighter wrote in his personal blog that he is “scheduled to be gone through October,” thanking the webspam team, which he claims to be “much better” than him at spam fighting and also “in more-than-capable hands.”
This will probably be the longest break since he started working with Google in 2000. Cutts noted that there isn’t any specific event, other than the promise to his wife that needs to be fulfilled.
He said that he and his wife agreed that he would work for “4-5 years,” at the time of joining Google. But now, after almost 15 years with Google, and around 10 years as head of the webspam team, Cutts is taking time off to be with his wife more, and “not just physically present” with his mind “still on work.”
ZDNet notes that this is the “same language that senior executives often use when suddenly departing their employer.” But Cutts had made reference to a long vacation even before. He said this vacation is kind of an early celebration of his 15th wedding anniversary next year.
Cutts kept reiterating that he will not check his work mail during his time off and that he will set up Gmail filters to forward his outside email to a group of webspam fighters. However, the webspam will not be replying to the mail.
He has also listed out the other ways to communicate with Google like the webmaster forums and Office Hours Hangouts, Google Webmaster Central account on Twitter, and Google Webmasters on Google+.
Things on Cutts agenda for the next few months will likely include ballroom dancing with his wife, taking a cruise by late next month, spending time with his parents and trying a half-Ironman race.
