and try new things, including a half ironman race. Upon joining Google, Cutts agreed with his wife to work for four to five years and then spend a period of time together. Fifteen years later, Cutts made the decision to do so. In May 2015, Google announced it had placed someone new in Cutts' position as the head of the web spam team, but this person would not be an official spokesperson for publisher and webmaster issues. In January 2017, Cutts announced that he would be leaving Google to join the US Digital Service. Cutts noted that he handed in his notice to Google on December 31, 2016. Cutts was originally going to spend his leave at the USDS for three months which then turned into six months. References Further reading External links American computer scientists Google employees 1970s births Living people People from Morehead, Kentucky University of Kentucky alumni Search engine optimization consultants University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni