With every great invention, there's a person or group of people behind it that can sometimes be just as big as the invention itself. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs are just examples of when the designer is just as known as the inventions themselves.

Unless you're deep in knowledge of the history behind Google, then the name Rajeev Motwani might elude you. He might me one of the most important names you don't recognize however.

Admittedly, I had heard of Rajeev Motwani but I personally never took the time to find out why he was so big in the search community. It's definitely a loss on my part, as he's been lauded not just as a brilliant mind but one that was gracious, and understanding.

You might not have heard of Motwani, but if you know you're Google then you've heard of the co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Well, Motwani was their computer science professor, and provide much needed support when they were coming up with Google. In Brin's blog post about Motwani, it sounds like his former professor provided guidance that would eventually lead to the research necessary to start Google,

"When my interest turned to data mining, Rajeev helped to coordinate a regular meeting group on the subject. Even though I was just one of hundreds of graduate students in the department, he always made the time and effort to help. Later, when Larry and I began to work together on the research that would lead to Google, Rajeev was there to support us and guide us through challenges, both technical and organizational."

Motwani's death came by way of accidental drowning, and is survived by his wife and kids. If you'd like to read to read more about the man, Om Malik has written an informative post on his friend.

The ideas presented in the WebProWorld newsletter editor's note do not reflect the thoughts, and ideas of the WebProWorld community.

| JohnnyV |