Steve Jobs takes a 5 month leave of absence due to “complex” health issues
Steve Jobs has announced that he is taking some private time away from the Apple spotlight in order to concentrate on his deteriorating health. The CEO of Apple’s recent issues surrounding his health have now been classed as “more complex” than he had originally thought.
Rumours about Steve Jobs’ health have been bouncing around over the past few months and it is said that, although Jobs is only on a five month leave of absence, the problems may see Steve Jobs being forced into retirement.
In a letter to Apple employees on Wednesday, Jobs explained his reasoning behind his break from the company. “In order to take myself out of 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,” said Jobs.
“As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan,” continued the Apple CEO.
Jobs had written an open letter on January 5, where he highlighted the main reasons for any decision he would take to look after his health, making the issues a priority. “As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to my doctors and me. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my first (number one) priority,” said Jobs.
It is being rumoured that Jobs may be facing cancer, according to doctors in the United States. Jobs had an operation, which removes sections of the pancreas, small intestines and bile ducts, similar to a Whipple operation, back in 2004. However, fallout of the operation may mean that the pancreas could need be removed in order to avoid a pancreatic leak.
“You might have to take the rest of the pancreas out. You’re on significant doses of insulin, and it’s not easy to manage. The person has the risk of severe diabetes,” said Robert Thomas, the head of surgery at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne.
Jobs went on to discuss in his letter to Apple employees, that, “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.”
The move to take time away from Apple has cost the company a great hit in the share price department, as shares plummeted 7 per cent after Jobs’ announcement. Jobs’ is well known as the face of Apple, throughout the world, and the announcement has worried shareholders.
In Jobs’ absence, Apple’s chief operating officer, Tim Cook, will be taking over, however Jobs’ has attempted to ease the worries of Apple’s investors by announcing that he will remain involved with decisions.
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