As CNBC bureau chief Jim Goldman chatted with me about the abrupt sacking of Stuart Scott as Microsoft's CIO, I reminded him of another high-level firing. Remember Martin Taylor? A right-hand man to CEO Steve Ballmer and Microsoft's point person on its anti-Linux campaign, Taylor and Microsoft "parted ways" — code words, insiders say, for a firing. A commenter on the Mini-Microsoft blog claims that Taylor was fired not just for pursuing an affair with a coworker, but expensing a hotel room for weekend getaways. "'Internal affairs' takes on a whole new meaning at Microsoft," cracked Goldman. One hopes that Scott's sins against the company had more to it than just an affair. Sacking an employee merely for office hanky-panky seems meddlesome and moralistic. But frittering away shareholders' money on extracurriculars, as Taylor stands accused of? A firing offense, for sure.

Contact information for this author is not available.