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‘Father of Internet’, Vinton Cerf returns to roots with new Google job – Why Google hired him

Adding to its all-star roster of engineering talent, Google has hired Vinton Cerf, often referred to as the “father of the Internet.”

Cerf, who was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Bill Clinton in 1997, joins Google from MCI, where he is senior vice president of technology strategy.

Cerf’s role at Google is unclear. But Google executives said they expect “great things” from the Internet pioneer.

“It’s true Vint has broad interests, and exactly what he’ll do, we’ll see,” said Bill Coughran, a vice president of engineering at Google.

Cerf, 62, will join Google in early October, along with his chief of staff from MCI. He’ll work from his McLean, Va., home. But Coughran said he expected Cerf to make frequent visits to Google’s Mountain View headquarters.

By Michael Bazeley

Mercury News

Full Story: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/12591557.htm

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Why Google hired Vint Cerf

By Stefanie Olsen
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

What will Internet visionary Vint Cerf do for Google?

Whether he meant to or not, Cerf hinted at one area he was interested in six weeks before he joined the search giant, and it deals with a wireless device near you.

In a broad-ranging interview with CNET News.com on July 28, Cerf–the man who co-developed the basic communications protocol of the Internet–said databases filled with geographically indexed material will soon help people easily retrieve lists of local hospitals, ATMs or cafes on mobile devices. Advertisements could also be part of the mix.

"In the case of Google Earth, for example, if you find yourself at a particular location and you ask where the nearest Chinese restaurant is, they can all be popped up, with little logos with the appropriate symbols on them, and you could mouse over to that and click on it and menus might pop up," Cerf told News.com this summer.

Full Story: http://news.com.com/Why+Google+hired+Vint+Cerf/2100-1038_3-5855650.html?tag=nefd.lede

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