AOL hires Microsoft's Alex Gounares as new CTO

From CNET News.com: AOL has filled two key positions, grabbing Alex Gounares from Microsoft as the new CTO and promoting Julie Jacobs as the new general counsel.

Gounares arrives at AOL this week to take over as chief technology officer and join the company's Global Executive Operating Committee, the company announced Monday. In his new role, Gounares will spearhead AOL's technology strategy, in charge of platform development and external partnerships. He'll also manage the expansion of AOL's engineering centers and technology staff around the world and be counted on to play a leading role in the company's overall direction.

Replacing former CTO Ted Cahall, who left in late January, Gounares will report directly to AOL CEO Tim Armstrong and work at the company's main engineering and technology center in Dulles, Va.

All Things Digital reported Friday that sources had already pegged Gounares as joining AOL following his exit from Microsoft where he was a corporate vice president and the chief technology officer for the Online Services Division. While at Microsoft, Gounares led several key projects, including the company's global advertising platform, Bing search engine, MSN, and Microsoft Virtual Earth.

In his 17-year career at Microsoft, Gounares also served for three years as technology adviser to co-founder Bill Gates and was a corporate vice president in the company's finance department. The 37-year-old has a bachelor's degree cum laude in computer sciences from Princeton University, and is an inventor of more than 100 U.S. patents filed and currently pending, according to AOL.

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