Microsoft has dismissed its chief information officer after conducting an internal investigation into a violation of company policies.

The software giant did not elaborate on details of the investigation but said that the contract of Stuart Scott had been terminated. The company failed to return calls from The Times.

Mr Scott’s role involved overseeing Microsoft’s technology systems that were used by its 79,000 employees.

Mr Scott had been with Microsoft since summer 2005 as co-chief information officer and then sole holder of the role, having joined from General Electric. He was Microsoft’s third chief information officer in four years and reported to Kevin Turner, the company’s chief operating officer.

Mr Scott said in September that the role of Microsoft’s chief information officer was expanding beyond ensuring that the company’s internal technology worked. It also involved spearheading new products that came out of Microsoft’s experience as a major employer using its own software.

He added: “Everyone seems to have input into everyone else’s job. It keeps you sharp. Certainly, there are people at Microsoft that think they can do my job but they really don’t want to do my job. I think that just goes with the territory of any CIO.”

According to Microsoft’s website, Mr Scott holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering, mathematics and computer science from the University of Louisville. He also has an MBA from Vanderbilt University. He lives with his wife and seven children in Washington State.

A spokesman said that Shahla Aly, Microsoft’s general manager, and Alain Crozier, a corporate vice-president, would assume Mr Scott’s duties until a replacement was found.

Shares in Microsoft have surged over the past few weeks after it bought a 1.6 per cent stake in Facebook for $240 million (£114 million). The deal allowed Microsoft to widen its marketing relationship with the social networking site.

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