AOL (NYSE: AOL) has hired Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) online executive Alex Gounares as its CTO, we have confirmed with sources. AllThingsD‘s Kara Swisher first reported the news earlier this afternoon; AOL isn’t commenting, while Microsoft confirms he has indeed left.

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Gounares, who had previously been Microsoft’s CVP of advertising R&D, was promoted to CTO of the company’s online services division in October. When that appointment was made, Microsoft said that Gounares would be first taking “some well-earned parental leave.” It’s not clear if he ever came back and, in fact, Gounares’ official Microsoft biography was never updated to include his new post. At AOL, Gounares will be filling a job left vacant since former CTO Ted Cahall departed earlier this year, shortly after former Google (NSDQ: GOOG) exec Jeff Reynar was hired as AOL’s head of technology for engineering and products.