20 Real Facts About Matt Cutts, Google’s Spam Sheriff

Matt Cutts and Cuttlets Matt Cutts is Google’s most public face to webmasters around the globe. There has always been a lot of speculation and rumors about Matt, what he does, what he did before joining Google and just about every other thing you can think of. After seeing Matt at PubCon Las Vegas recently I thought it would be cool to have one list that could serve as definitive facts about Matt so here are 20 researched facts about Matt Cutts:

Who is Matt Cutts?

1. Matt Cutts is 34 and originally from Kentucky

Educational Background

2. Matt has bachelor’s degrees in both mathematics and computer science from the University of Kentucky

3. Matt has a Masters of Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

4. Before joining Google, Matt was working on a Ph. D. at UNC at Chapel Hill

5. Matt doesn’t think he will ever go back to grad school

B.G. (Before Google)

6. Matt used to work for a gaming engine company based in North Carolina called Numerical Design Ltd.

7. Matt worked for the Department of Defense as part of the University of Kentucky’s co-operative education program

8. Matt’s top secret clearance no longer exists

The Google Years

9. Matt joined Google in January 2000 at a time when there were less than 100 employees and his friends thoughts he was nuts

10. Matt is a Senior Staff Software Engineer and head of the Webspam Group at Google

11. Matt wrote the adult safe search feature in Google

12. Matt has called himself “the human voice between Google and webmasters”

13. Matt was responsible for the hiring of his protogee Adam Lasnik

Personal Info

14. Matt goes to the Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert

15. Matt has owned a Chevy Cavalier, a Ford Escort and a Honda Civic (complete with power locks and windows)

16. Matt Cutts is married and his wife has baked cookies for other Googlers

Fun Facts

17. Matt’s groupies are called Cuttlets (also pictured courtesy of Jim Boykin via flickr)

18. Matt “admitted” to being Webmaster World’s GoogleGuy

19. Matt’s sentimental favorite search engine spider is Grub which is now a part of LookSmart

20. Matt has an evil twin brother appropriately named Evil Matt Cutts