Stuart Scott's sudden, ignominious departure from Microsoft is just one way for CIOs to be shown the door. HR violations, lack of execution, poor judgment, failure to protect the company's vital information -- a lot can go wrong, and when it does, there are consequences.

I met Scott two months ago at InformationWeek's conference in Tucson, Ariz., where he was a featured speaker. In front of some 300 conference attendees, I interviewed Scott and Kevin Turner, Microsoft's chief operating officer and, notably, Scott's boss. The two talked about the way they worked together, including regular meetings with Bill Gates to brainstorm over Microsoft's internal IT operations.

Scott and Turner presented a pleasant picture of harmony and accomplishment. They talked about how Microsoft has consolidated data centers and held IT costs flat, while directing freed-up resources into new, value-adding software development projects. Afterwards, some attendees thought it all sounded too good to be true. They were right.

Turner, the former CIO of Wal-Mart, is a no-nonsense kind of guy. One has to wonder what Scott did to bring the hammer down on himself. The father of seven seemed squeaky clean, spending his out-of-office time coaching and "leading youth groups," according to his bio. Microsoft will only say that Scott violated company policies. Not surprisingly, rumors are flying on the Web.

There are myriad ways for IT execs to get into trouble and just as many ways for them to exit. Morgan Stanley's embattled CTO Guy Chiarello recently "retired," according to one source. (I have a call into Morgan Stanley to confirm; no response yet.) If true, that's a face-saving good-bye compared with Scott's swift boot.

Read the rest of my blog at CIOs Uncensored.

John Foley
jpfoley@cmp.com
www.informationweek.com

T-Mobile Looks Ready To Go All The Way With Google
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Google's Schmidt: Company Will 'Definitely' Participate In Spectrum Auction
Google is having another amazing week. After all the hoopla that surrounded Open Social, Google dominated news again this week with its Android announcement. And just when you thought it was safe to turn on the weekend, Google's CEO Eric Schmidt said that the search company will bid on spectrum in the upcoming 700 MHz auction. Well, sort of.

Will Clearwire Partner With Google For WiMax?
Analysts and tech insiders -- including my colleague Rob Preston -- are speculating that WiMax might not survive the end of the much-hyped marriage between startup Clearwire and U.S. cellular carrier Sprint. Now some bloggers speculate that Clearwire will go solo and partner with Google. Say what?

Join Us For GridTalk Tuesday With Science Fiction Writer Charles Stross
Our guest for our next GridTalk is science-fiction writer Charles Stross, whose most recent novel Halting State, is set in the near future -- just 11 years from now, when virtual worlds, massively multiplayer games, advanced mobile computing, and augmented reality are a part of daily life.

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