Steve Jobs Takes Leave of Absence From Apple

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Steve Jobs Takes Leave of Absence From Apple

Posted by timothy on Wednesday January 14, 2009 @10:53AM from the get-well-soon dept.

An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from Network World: "A number of sites are reporting that Apple's CEO Steve Jobs is taking a leave of absence till June at least. Speculation over Jobs' possibly failing health has run rampant in the past few weeks. Prior to the recent MacWorld show, Jobs said he had a hormone deficiency that had caused him to dramatically lose weight. In a memo today Jobs told workers his health issues are more complex than he thought." Reader Bastian227 adds a link to this letter from Steve Jobs on Apple's website, which also says that Tim Cook will be responsible for daily operations, though Jobs will remain involved with major strategic decisions.

17 of 429 comments (clear)

Re:Get well, Steve by ColdWetDog · 2009-01-14 10:58 · Score: 5, Funny

Love 'em or hate 'em, he's changed a lot in the tech sector. His presence will be missed.
He's not dead yet!

--
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Re:Sell quick by Bryan+Ischo · 2009-01-14 11:00 · Score: 5, Funny

I bought AAPL at $50 a few years ago, it's the only individual stock besides AMD (which I got burned on in the late 1990s) I have ever purchased. For a while there AAPL was touching $200 and my wife and I said that our stock in AAPL is going to pay for our daughter's college education someday.
With the way that AAPL has been going lately, I think she's going to have to go to a community college :/
One more thing... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-14 11:03 · Score: 5, Funny

This is all just part of the build-up for what will be the most astounding corporate marketing stunt of all time: the death and resurrection of Steve Jobs.
Re:June... by johnsonav · 2009-01-14 11:04 · Score: 5, Insightful

On a different note, this is a sad day for those owning AAPL shares - expect them to plunge even further than they have over the past year.
Well, if you didn't see this coming a mile off, you probably shouldn't be in the market at all.

--
... and that's when the C.H.U.D.'s came at me.
Re:June... by Phroggy · 2009-01-14 11:05 · Score: 5, Informative

That's usually when WWDC happens. I think he's planning on doing that keynote.
-jcr
I don't think so. WWDC was June 9-13 last year, and Jobs' announcement specifically says "until the end of June." There will be tons of cool stuff to show off at WWDC this year, and it doesn't make sense to bet on Jobs' health improving enough to be able to do the keynote, especially if he won't be involved with operations beforehand.

--
$x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
$x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
On the upside... by DesScorp · 2009-01-14 11:07 · Score: 5, Funny

... Apple now has the thinnest, lightest CEO on the market.

--
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
1. Re:On the upside... by Keen+Anthony · 2009-01-14 11:11 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  That is just sick... freaking hilarious... but sick. Mod up. I mean down, I mean up. I feel so guilty.
Nothing To See Here, Move Along by gustar · 2009-01-14 11:08 · Score: 5, Insightful

Even with the prospect of Jobs having of an extended absence from the day-to-day at Apple I think we will see the company continue to do fine, or at least continue on their existing business path.
While leadership is a key element of business success, so is having a well balanced team of professionals driving your development/innovation teams.
I have to image Apple has this balance in their organization.
Good luck, Mr. Jobs by AlpineR · 2009-01-14 11:16 · Score: 5, Insightful

I wish him well. As someone who had to retire at age 33 to fight cancer, I know how discouraging it is to have your body spoil what your brain wants to do. But I also found that giving up the full-time job really did improve my health and led to greater productivity in my remaining activities.
Re:Pancreatic Cancer by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-14 11:20 · Score: 5, Informative

Learn to discriminate your pancreatic cancers. Adenocarcinoma has a 5% survival rate. Steve had a islet cell neuroendocrine tumor, which has a 50 to 75% 5 year survival.
Re:He shall return as iSteve by goombah99 · 2009-01-14 11:26 · Score: 5, Funny

and the "i" in iCEO is not a letter but actually a tiny picture of Steve.

--
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
Cancer sucks by groovyPost · 2009-01-14 11:30 · Score: 5, Insightful

I'll bet there will be no returning for Jobs. Sad news but a lesson to all. A company should never be about "A" person. None of us are eternal.
1. Re:Cancer sucks by jalefkowit · 2009-01-14 11:43 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  A company should never be about "A" person. None of us are eternal.
  Story goes that Charles de Gaulle, who was often referred to as France's "indispensable man" due to his huge influence in setting that nation's course after the Nazi conquest, was asked what he thought of that title.
  His response: "The graveyards are full of indispensable men."
  
  --
  Read my blog.
As always, amatuers like you fail at stocks by GuloGulo · 2009-01-14 11:56 · Score: 5, Insightful

On a different note, this is a sad day for those owning AAPL shares - expect them to plunge even further than they have over the past year.
No.
If the company is sound, this will be a short term drop follwed by a recovery. If you own shares, and think AAPL is sound without Jobs, then selling makes no sense. Instead, you should be buying the discounted shares in anticipation of a recovery, which is what strong companies do.
On the other hand, if you think AAPL is not strong without Jobs, then WTF were you doing buying AAPL in the first place?
In short, you are making the same mistake all amateurs make.
And no, I'm not a pro, but this point has been emphasized enough, and proven accurate enough, that I take it as correct.

--
"The government grants you rights, not the other way around."-- beav007. Yes, these people really exist...
1. Re:As always, amatuers like you fail at stocks by SerpentMage · 2009-01-14 12:31 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  I am in the market and write trading systems, and could not have said it better myself.
  The thing about Steve Jobs and these sorts of leaders is when to let go. Lou Gerstner brought back IBM from the dead. Then he let go. IBM is still alive and kicking.
  Nokia's past CEO made Nokia what it was and then he let go. Nokia is still alive and kicking.
  Microsoft is an example of how one half let's go and the other half does not. I am actually much more pessimistic with Microsoft than Apple.
  In the past Apple lacked execution. They had great ideas, but poor execution. Now Apple has execution, and it is NOT STEVE JOBS that did the execution. Think about it, how well did Apple execute with Steve Jobs previously? Or how about Next? NOT AT ALL! What was different this time is that Steve Jobs built a team...
  Ideas are a dime a dozen. The ability to execute on the idea is what makes the difference... And that Apple can do...
  
  --
  
  "You can't make a race horse of a pig"
  "No," said Samuel, "but you can make very fast pig"
2. Re:As always, amatuers like you fail at stocks by dangitman · 2009-01-14 17:30 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  If you're Dell, you car a lot.
  Do we have to bring car analogies into everything?
  
  --
  ... and then they built the supercollider.
Re:Shoulda eaten more meat, Steve-o! by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-14 12:31 · Score: 5, Insightful

Even healthy living can kill you I guess.
Eat more bacon, you won't live long. but at least you can have some bacon.