Filed under: Apple Corporate
Steve's OK, everyone relax
Who says Apple doesn't listen? More to the point, who says Steve Jobs isn't aware of the rumors? Earlier today Apple posted a letter from CEO Steve Jobs indicating precisely what has been causing his weight loss (a hormone imbalance, apparently treatable) and why he won't be at the keynote (he's spending time with his family). There's a corresponding statement from the Apple board of directors offering support for Steve and confidence in his continued leadership.
Steve's no dummy. I applaud him taking this time to be with his family, and I'm personally quite happy to hear his weight loss appears to stem from a rather strange but reversible affair. While the keynote will be odd without him, let's hope this puts a little water on the doomsayers out there. Steve's not going anywhere just yet -- so everyone relax this week and enjoy the spectacle at Macworld.
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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 3)
webmacster87 said 10:56AM on 1-05-2009
Phil has done a great job before, and he'll do a great job again. He did a spectacular keynote at the Apple Expo in Paris back in 2004 when he demoed Tiger and introduced the iMac G5, which was a very significant announcement. It's still the same Apple that is making the announcement, even if they end up using a different talking head to do it.
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Jon said 11:01AM on 1-05-2009
OMG! OMG! OMG!
The first two commenters are both ridiculous.
First, the SEC and potential flood of shareholder lawsuits prevent apple from publiclly saying anything that isn't very well support about Jons and his health. Diagnosing something like this is extenely difficult. I'm not a doctor but two loved ones have been through similar enough digestive issues to have seen a dozen different doctors with a dozen different ideas about what was wrong based on a myriad of tests. Those people that seem to think doctors are magic machines that always should or can detemine the cause if things are just foolish... but I'm off topic now.
Riley. Please rethink what you wrote... CEO's are considered very important at the vast majority of companies. Few however are as publiclly recognized and punlically involved as Jobs. Regardless he is a very significant force at Apple, to say otherwise is to ignore 20 years of history very clearly illustrating that. Thfurther while most of what david said is conspiracy theroy garbage it is a fact that a company make false or misleading statements about anything material to its bussiness operation is ILLEGAL All that said CEO's are not irreplacable and apple is in far better hands overall today than it was in the early 90's, just like Gates left MS in an orderly fashion so will Jobs eventually leave Apple.
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Jon said 11:10AM on 1-05-2009
The underlying tone I got from the letter was that Steve was pretty annoyed with people speculating about his "imminent" death, and I can't say I blame him. How would that make you and your family feel?
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Think Adrian said 11:13AM on 1-05-2009
Get well soon, Mr. Jobs! Best wishes from Stockholm, Sweden
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Eideard said 11:22AM on 1-05-2009
Aside from the usual few barely febrile idiots, the result validates the reason.
Apple stock up ~5%, this morning.
If I was on the board of directors, I'd request the same. Of course.
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NFK said 11:24AM on 1-05-2009
Steve will quit soon because he wants to spend more time with his family. That was always the most likely reason. It was always there, though unspoken. Now it's spoken. It will grow. It will be everywhere. It will be inevitable. Then it will be real.
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Drew said 11:33AM on 1-05-2009
At least it's easier to see what's coming in the Keynote tomorrow...
http://img53.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ifatdt7.jpg
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L3 said 11:33AM on 1-05-2009
'Strange but reversable affair?'
Sounds like a weekend in Vegas.
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vandil said 11:44AM on 1-05-2009
I feel sorry for Steve. I really do. His persona is so forever etched into Apple, that he has lost his privacy. This letter was a huge disclosure and violation to him. He only did it because, in his words, he "will always put what is best for Apple first." -- including disclosing personal health info to appease shareholders, day traders, and fan boys with Steve shrines at home.
Leave the man alone.
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David said 11:45AM on 1-05-2009
What he described sounds like Type-1 Diabetes Mellitus, but that's easily diagnosed. It's also easily treated.
Anyway, he sounds optimistic.
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doctorj said 12:38PM on 1-05-2009
I am a physician, and my best guess is that it is a glucagonoma. The tests to confirm diabetes and thyroid disease are not very "sophisticated," and it would not take months to diagnose these ailments. Glucagonomas are associated with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. This does not bode well for Apple or Steve- this is a poor prognosis with a life expectancy of 3-4 years. Try looking up "glucagonoma" on wikipedia, you will see that it is associated with excessive protein catabolism, and treated with sandostatin injections (which will only help temporarily).
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David Robison said 12:59PM on 1-05-2009
I hope doctorj is wrong for Steve and his family's sake. His kids are still pretty young. I lost a parent in my teens and it's devastating.
My best wishes to Steve.
alf said 4:51PM on 1-05-2009
who the hell is steve jobs? hehe ;)
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Fred said 2:16PM on 1-05-2009
I fell really bad for Steve. He's entitled to his privacy. While this privacy issue may be a little self caused (because of his importance to Apple), I still feel for him.
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ED said 1:41PM on 1-27-2009
Dear Mr. Jobs:
I'm not a crackpot. For whatever it's worth I'm a member of Mensa. I believe your best chance of being being cured is to read my new book "The Fatal Bug in My Brain." Ed
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Rob said 3:02PM on 1-05-2009
I think some of you are missing the point. Steve is first a Person, Husband and a Father. We need to forget about stock price going up or down. I wish him well. Lets all be good people and forget about our selfish wants. You need to think of this situation as if he is someone you love as a person not as a celebrity.
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Gary said 3:05PM on 1-05-2009
Rare for a CEO to be so intimately tied to his company's well-being. Will Apple continue to be leaders in innovation and elegance? Products that define the "I want I need" phenomenon, the second we see them? The creative nucleus will be there. How does a great orchestra do when their emblematic conductor leaves?
As a physician, and for what it's worth, I don't believe this at all. Loss of pancreatic digestive enzymes can and does lead to chronic wasting . . . but this syndrome is easily diagnosed and for sure doesn't go on for months (much less years) before being caught. Other "hormonal" imbalances could lead to weight loss (Steve has clearly lost considerable muscle mass, as seen by the wasting of the temporal areas of his face and head), but again, diagnosing these doesn't take an astrophysicist (so to speak). As I see this, that doesn't leave lots of possibilities. These "explanations" are disingenuous at best, and frankly dishonest (ok ok he DOES say "might") at worst. Why is this necessary?
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Tony said 3:05PM on 1-05-2009
So, what's Steve Ballmer's health like right now? Stockholders demand an answer! I saw him running around on stage acting like a crazy person, yelling "developers! developers! developers!" It's obvious he has a mental illness. I demand copies of his psychiatric evaluation!
And while we're at it, how about the CEO of HP? I want detailed physician reports!
(end sarcasm)
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Ed said 6:01PM on 1-05-2009
Menopause is a bitch...
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Jon said 8:54PM on 1-05-2009
First, let's hope this post shows up, and in a timely manner. Anyway, can't any of you nay-sayers just be happy for the man? His health is under control. Everything is not a conspiracy and your skepticism is shallow. If it turns out to be spin, or not the truth, I am still proud to be using the best computers and music players out there. Stop acting like he is a pariah. And remember, pariahs do get sick from time to time, as well. Give it a rest.
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