Apple's Chief Takes a Medical Leave By BRAD STONE The New York Times January 15, 2009
Casting a pall over one of the world's most closely watched companies, Steven P. Jobs, chief executive of Apple, said on Wednesday that he was taking a leave of absence because of health concerns. Mr. Jobs wrote in a letter to Apple employees, released after the markets closed, that he had learned over the last week that his health problems were "more complex" than he originally thought. He said he planned to return to Apple at the end of June and in the meantime would hand day-to-day control of Apple over to Timothy D. Cook, its longtime chief operating officer. Mr. Jobs, 53, wrote that curiosity about his health continued "to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well." He said he would maintain the chief executive title and stay involved in major strategic decisions. Mr. Jobs's leave of absence is the latest twist in a story that has left the company's shareholders, analysts and ardent fans exasperated and straining to divine any hidden meanings in the company's vaguely worded communications. In his letter, Mr. Jobs offered no new details about the cause of his health problems. In a letter last week that was meant to calm fears about his condition, he said a "hormone imbalance" was robbing his body of proteins and causing him to lose weight. Mr. Jobs recovered from pancreatic cancer after surgery in 2004, but has appeared unusually gaunt at recent appearances. Two people who are familiar with Mr. Jobs's current medical treatment said he was not suffering from a recurrence of cancer, but a condition that was preventing his body from absorbing food. Doctors have also advised him to cut down on stress, which may be making the problem worse, these people said. ... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/technology/companies/15apple.html *********************************** * POST TO [email protected] * *********************************** Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
