Buck - I understand people's hesitation to jump at LinkedIn changes as a sign of what might/might not be going on. But as I posted elsewhere when challenged, I called the company. He is still listed in the directory, but I went to Operator/Receptionist and asked for him. I was told he was unavailable. I asked if he was expected to be in/available later. I was told it was not known. So I directly asked if he was still with the firm. After being on hold for 1 minute, I was told that they would not confirm if he was still there, but that I can call back "later" (no time frame discussed on what later really means) and possible get more information.
I know that doesn't definitively confirm his status, but common sense would dictate that he is no longer there. If he was, what's the reason for being ambiguous about his status - unless they are trying to put out information to lead to speculation. Typically, if you're still with a company, the company will say that you are and ask if the caller wants to leave a message or get transferred to voice mail.
Again, all in my opinion, but sometimes we need to use common sense and to me that would be that he is no longer with the firm.