Microsoft's Chief Scientific Officer Peter Lee to depart.

On Wednesday, Microsoft veteran executive Peter Lee announced he would be leaving the company. For years, he had led Microsoft's internal research division. Lee is one of several senior Microsoft executives to announce their departures this year. Since the start of the year, Rajesh Jha, who heads the Office and Windows businesses, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer, Chief Communications Officer Frank Shaw, and security chief Charlie Bell have all announced plans to leave. Peter Lee joined Microsoft in 2010 and helped lead a research division with about 1,500 scientists. The division focused on research in multiple areas related to Microsoft's business, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, search, robotics, and cryptography. That research produced several new Microsoft products, including the quantum computing chip the company launched last year, which the company said could help shape the future of computing.