That is a link that catches your attention at CNN: Google Earth guru missing off California coast.
Jim Grey has been missing since Sunday and one of the key points in that CNN article is:
helped develop Google Earth technology
I hope they find him all well.
James has a better writeup.. apparently CNN is full of dodo in regards to GE facts 
Might want to check your source on that "Google Earth guru" quote.
CNN? Get something wrong? NEVER!
Though, now I see there are some changes to the article that were not their earlier. Hrm.
I think they were using the phrase Google Earth generically like we use Xerox.
Such as:
NASA World Wind uses Google Earth technology.
Well,
I know him, he's a very well-known scientist and he's a Turing Award recipient.
Anyway, he's working at Microsoft and I think he has nothing to do at all with google earth. Indeed, he's part of Virtual Earth project by Microsoft.
Fabrizio
Yea, I made the mistake of beleiving 15% of what CNN writes. I noticed a few hours later that all the Google references were removed from the article.
Hopefully, they will still find him.