Intel CEO Brian Krzanich resigned suddenly after a “past consensual relationship with an Intel employee” came to light, the company said Thursday.

His unexpected exit comes after internal and external investigations ordered by the chipmaker “confirmed a violation of Intel’s non-fraternization policy, which applies to all managers,” Intel said.

“Given the expectation that all employees will respect Intel’s values and adhere to the company’s code of conduct,” the company added, “the board has accepted Mr. Krzanich’s resignation.”

Robert Swan, 58, Intel’s chief financial officer and a board member of eBay, was named Intel’s interim CEO.

Details of Krzanich’s relationship were not immediately disclosed, including the identity of his romantic partner.

His departure comes in the midst of the #MeToo movement and amid heightened scrutiny of workplace relationships between powerful corporate executives and their colleagues. About 99 percent of organizations with workplace romance policies ban relationships between supervisors and people who report to them, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.

Corporate managers must refrain from relationships with their subordinates, said Kate Bischoff, an employment attorney and HR consultant for tHRive Law & Consulting LLC. Those relationships inevitably raise concerns about favoritism, retaliation or other misconduct.

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