The man widely known as a "founding father" of the Internet is now a Google employee. Vinton Cerf, the man who helped co-found TCP/IP, the system that routes Internet traffic, will join the search giant as Chief Internet Evangelist.

Cerf said he would continue his work in leadership roles within the Internet community including chairman at ICANN, as well as his work as a visiting scientist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to figure out ways to connect the Internet to outer space.

Google hired Cerf away from MCI, where he spent 11 years working on networking technologies, and most recently served as vice president of technology strategy. He said MCI's proposed sale to Verizon had no bearing on his decision to leave the company.

"This medium will enjoy wider-spread use than television, radio or phones, and will ultimately expand beyond planet Earth," Cerf said. "Google has always believed in doing things differently, and I believe that places us in a unique position to help bring even the wildest Internet visions into reality."

The addition to Cerf follows a string of big-name hirings for Google. In recent months, the company has hired away executives from rivals like Microsoft, sparking a legal battle between the two.

Google is also hiring Firefox developers away from Mozilla, fueling speculation that the search giant may be working on a Web browser of its own.