14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft recently ousted Stuart L. Scott, and as such, his profile on the company's official website now reads (Former) Corporate Vice President and Chief Information Officer. As neither the Redmond company nor Scott offered any palpable details related to their sudden divorce, the rumor mill is delivering some juicy explanations, aiming to clarify the issue. Scott had been with Microsoft for almost three years when his employment ended on nothing even close to a subtle note.
In fact, on his profile, the company posted an obvious addition to the information offered about the former CIO: "Stuart Scott's employment at Microsoft ended in early November 2007." Otherwise, Microsoft revealed that "we can confirm that Stuart Scott was terminated after an investigation for violation of company policies, and have no further information to share." Which gives absolutely no indication of the underlying reason behind Scott's abrupt departure.
Abrupt indeed, but not sudden, as some reports emphasized. According to SeatlePI Scott's house in Bellevue had been put on the market since mid September. Whatever the violation of the company policies was, it seems that Scott was getting ready for his separation from Microsoft for almost a couple of months before the whole deal hit the fans.
Now, speculations point to both sexual harassment and an affair with one of his VPs as the cause of company policies violation. Such a scenario was not confirmed by Microsoft. Since his departure from the Redmond company, Scott has kept a low profile and issued no public statements. "In the interim, Microsoft GM Shahla Aly and Corp. VP Alain Crozier will assume his responsibilities until a replacement is identified", Microsoft added.
Still, according to Scott's profile he was nothing short of a committed family man, and in this case it is hard to believe that some nookie got him fired. "Scott lives with his wife and seven children in Washington. He spends his free time with his family, coaching sports teams, leading youth groups, and playing golf", reads the final fragment of the entry on Stuart L. Scott.