Steve Jobs Taking a Media Leave from Apple

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Apple has confirmed that CEO Steve Jobs will step down from his CEO post while recuperating from a hormone imbalance. His absence will stretch until the end of June. Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer, will run the company during Jobs’ absence, according an e-mail Jobs sent to Apple employees that was released to the media.

Jobs said in the e-mail:

Apple Media Advisory

Apple CEO Steve Jobs today sent the following email to all Apple employees:

Team,

I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.

In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple’s day to day operations, and I know he and the rest of the executive management team will do a great job. As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan.

I look forward to seeing all of you this summer.

Steve

Here’s the buzz response from the blogosphere…

The letter above clearly notes that his health issues are more complex than previously thought, but his reasons for stepping down include the fact that stories about his health distract the company from doing its core work. – Gizmodo

In the short run, Apple is on a roll. It refreshed its notebook line last fall with a new technology. The iPhone has a lot of momentum, and we can assume work is well under way for a third hardware version and a stream of software updates. – from NYTimes

Text of email from Steve Jobs to all Apple employees sent earlier today, following up on an earlier public statement he made last month about his health. COO Tim Cook takes over day to day operations of Apple. – from Techcrunch

Steve Jobs hands over the company to COO Tim Cook as he announced that he is going to take a medical week of absence that could last until the end of June 2009. Jobs in his letter says he is going to be back, but his recovery is going to take a lot longer than originally thought. In a previous message, Jobs had indicated that he had some hormone-related concerns. Jobs was also treated for pancreatic cancer a few years ago. – from Gigaom