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Steve Jobs To Take ‘Medical Leave Of Absence’, Stays On As CEO

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I

infiniteloop

Member
just saw this on CNN:

Team,

At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple’s day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.

I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.

Steve
Click to expand...

http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/17/steve-jobs-to-take-medical-leave-of-absence-stays-on-as-ceo/

Jobs had previously suffered from pancreatic cancer and had reportedly been cured of the disease back in 2004. But Jobs announced in January 2009 that he would be taking a six-month leave of absence for medical reasons. It was later revealed that he received a liver transplant during that time.
Click to expand...

Hope he's ok :(
 
J

JGS

Banned
Smiles and Cries said:
Can Apple be APPLE after Steve Jobs?

I wonder how much of Apple's success is his stage press events and vision for the company
Click to expand...
They're going to have to be eventually. Without Jobs, they've been known to be pretty bad at picking good leaders though.

Surely there is more of a brain trust there now that Johbs can rely. Who invented the Ipod? He deserves it!
 
G

giga

Member
Well that makes tomorrow’s earning call a bit more interesting. Tim Cook and Scott Forstall know what they’re doing though.
 
M

MrHicks

Banned
is it crazy to think that without jobs apple will begin a slow steady decline over the years?

maybe he gets too much credit and the team behind the scenes gets shafted i dunno just a feeling
 
W

WillyFive

Member
It doesn't have to be strictly about his cancer, it could just be generally speaking. His previous sickness left him very weakened, especially with his heavy weight loss, so some additional recovery is always better than continuing to work when he doesn't have to.

I hope he's OK.
 
S

StuBurns

Banned
Guy can't catch a break with his health. Unfortunate.

Hope it's not massively serious.

MrHicks said:
is it crazy to think that without jobs apple will begin a slow steady decline over the years?

maybe he gets too much credit and the team behind the scenes gets shafted i dunno just a feeling
Click to expand...
I think Apple are embedded enough now that his absence long term would never have the kind of affect it did last time, but he is very much the creative head of the company. It's like a band changing their songwriter I guess.
 
B

Blackhead

Redarse
Could htis be part of why he wasn't at the Verizon event? And what does this mean for the media event he was supposed to hold with Rupert Murdoch in the coming "weeks"? Hope he'll be okay.
 
S

subversus

I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
Smiles and Cries said:
Can Apple be APPLE after Steve Jobs?

I wonder how much of Apple's success is his stage press events and vision for the company
Click to expand...

No.

After some time it will crash and burn.
 
B

bionic77

Member
Smiles and Cries said:
Can Apple be APPLE after Steve Jobs?
Click to expand...
No they can't. Apple doesn't have a built in monopoly that can sustain them (other then perhaps the iPod). They have to produce products and software that continue to be desirable for consumers.

I really hope that Steve pulls through, but his health is the reason I sold my stock a little while after he had cancer. I knew the stock was worth more, but given Apple's past history shareholders are going to mass sell if this takes a turn for the worst.
 
L

LCfiner

Member
It's disheartening to see that he's still struggling with his health.

at least this time he's not placing Cook as interim CEO as before, implying that he's not as sick as he was in 2009.

But if he gets another hush hush major operation, I think some major shareholders will be pissed at all the secrecy.

hope he gets better soon
 
N

Ninja Kn1ght

Member
This is a shame, Steve is easily one of the most hands-on CEOs in the industry. I hope he gets well soon. Apple is not Apple without him.
 
S

Stink

Member
Charred Greyface said:
Could htis be part of why he wasn't at the Verizon event? And what does this mean for the media event he was supposed to hold with Rupert Murdoch in the coming "weeks"? Hope he'll be okay.
Click to expand...
What? Rupert Murdoch is taking over Apple?!
 
L

lunarworks

Member
I hope he gets better.

At this point I'm not sure if he'll be coming back. The email he sent looks like the beginning of a soft transition of power. Even if he does fully recuperate, he may just stay on as an advisor, like Bill Gates.
 
C

ChackanKun

Member
Hope he only needs some rest and doesn't have anything major :|

Hate when people have health problems, damn human fragility...!
 
D

devildog820

Member
He waited until after the Verizon announcement had time to die down in the press. The man is good at working the media.

Hope he's alright. Tim Cook is obviously, as the COO, perfectly capable of running day-to-day operations. Sounds like Jobs is just letting the board know he's not available 24/7 right now.
 
G

giga

Member
devildog820 said:
Hope he's alright. Tim Cook is obviously, as the COO, perfectly capable of running day-to-day operations. Sounds like Jobs is just letting the board know he's not available 24/7 right now.
Click to expand...
Clearly, since Jobs wasn’t even present for half a year prior to the iPad’s unveiling. If Jobs can stay on as a big picture guy, they’ll survive.
 
R

rezuth

Member
You people should know that Apple can continue to strive after Jobs is gone. Jobs has spent a tremendous effort and time into crafting both Apple and its personal to know what the game is. While Jobs is important for their public image he is no longer needed for Apple to survive, he has made damn sure of that.
 
H

HomShaBom

Banned
rezuth said:
You people should know that Apple can continue to strive after Jobs is gone. Jobs has spent a tremendous effort and time into crafting both Apple and its personal to know what the game is. While Jobs is important for their public image he is no longer needed for Apple to survive, he has made damn sure of that.
Click to expand...
No, no it can't.
 
V

VGChampion

Member
rezuth said:
You people should know that Apple can continue to strive after Jobs is gone. Jobs has spent a tremendous effort and time into crafting both Apple and its personal to know what the game is. While Jobs is important for their public image he is no longer needed for Apple to survive, he has made damn sure of that.
Click to expand...

Who knows. Only time will tell. When he wasn't with Apple years back they were in trouble. Apple has a lot of new customers who probably know nothing about their past as well.
 
D

Daft_Cat

Member
Wow, again?

I hope he's ok..but I've always had a feeling his prognosis has been more serious than he suggests. I always assumed that since he never really put weight back on, his condition was more treatable than curable despite what he said for the sake of his company.
 
M

Manics

Banned
Jenga said:
not worried, rich people have money for the best medical treatment
Click to expand...

This tells me it's pretty serious though. He's HAD the best medical treatment for years and he's still needing to take leave of absence.
 
N

numble

Member
HomShaBom said:
No, no it can't.
Click to expand...
Though it may not be as successful, this Apple is different than the Apple that Steve left before, even though he founded it--he fought with the board and managers (they didn't even give him projects to work on that he wanted), they wouldn't let him be CEO, he sold off all his stock out as a statement that he didn't believe in the company's direction, and he took all of the guys he liked over to NeXT (his new company).
 
E

esquire

Has waited diligently to think of something to say before making this post
Bluth said:
I hate to sound negative, but this news makes me a little nervous considering what he's been through.
Click to expand...
Me too. You have to believe that if he could stay on he would :(
 
P

Polari

Member
LM4sure said:
Stock should be down quite a bit tomorrow. The amount of credit investors give to Jobs is ridiculous!
Click to expand...

Not really. Apple were pretty much fucked until they bought NeXT and he returned.
 
R

rezuth

Member
Polari said:
Not really. Apple were pretty much fucked until they bought NeXT and he returned.
Click to expand...
Indeed but he has built himself a secure team that can keep it on without him. Just as he did with Pixar, entrusting it to the right people is key.
 
P

Pristine_Condition

Member
I'll take this as an opportunity to pick up some shares, if the price goes down. Tim Cook did a fantastic job last time he at the helm and the company grew something like 40+% and stayed on record-setting pace during that time.

Check this WSJ piece from the last time Jobs was out:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123941988981610781.html

Apple in 2011 is well-prepared for these things compared to the Apple of 2009. You know there's a long-term roadmap in place for all the major product lines, and the future products too. The key executives seem to be very stable too.
 
X

Xun

Member
Another thing worth noting about Apple after Jobs is that the brand WILL survive.

They'll remain strong thanks to the continued release of good looking devices, something that couldn't be said about Apple before Jobs was brought back in.

Jon Ive is incredibly important to the image of Apple, and without him they would not be where they are today. That coupled with the superb GUI of the devices will ensure success.
 
L

LCfiner

Member
rezuth said:
Indeed but he has built himself a secure team that can keep it on without him. Just as he did with Pixar, entrusting it to the right people is key.
Click to expand...

The difference (and this is huge) is that he was never hands on with Pixar content. He was a very different CEO for Pixar.

At Apple he's extremely involved with product and that's really rare with CEOs. I'm sure the team there now is very capable but no one really stands out as being someone who has the same product vision as Jobs.

I'm not saying Apple would fail if he had to leave, but his loss would be a blow to the company.
 
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