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:
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
More at CrunchGear.
Get well soon Stevie J
Get well soon.. More years we need u
This just proves the rumors at http://www.anonboard.com were true all along…
Thanks
http://kisalt.net/d2
Hope Steve gets better soon, but I disagree with how the whole situation was handled. (1) We’re Apple shareholders being kept in the dark regarding the condition of Steve for too long? (2) And did the letter he issued last week disclose the seriousness of the issue at hand? Yes, shareholders were kept in the dark for too long on even the ware abouts of Mr. Jobs. Until he issued the letter, the news space was buzzing about his health and overall disappearance from public appearance (except for Yogurt) for 6 weeks. This on top of the fact that it has been since June 2008 that no one was able to receive any answers as to why he had lost so much weight. To answer the second question, no, the letter he issued did not express the seriousness of the issue, nor did it hint that he was on his way out. The letter promised that he would have no more to say about his health, implying that his condition was stable enough that it would not need to be addressed again….http://tinyurl.com/a48kq4
Steve Jobs is an icon, he has gone from success to success and I can only hope that his streak continues with his health!
Jon
http://WoodMarvels.com – Create Unique Memories
Who sold his AAPL shares yesterday?
All the best to you steve. Get well soon!
Whatever happens Steve Jobs will remain a legend…one of the top pioneers ever seen, in the field of computers.
http://www.livbit.com
Totally agree with you on that one.
I hope Steve will be at his full health when he comes back in June. Looking forward to his comeback…
Cheers Steve!
This man almost single handedly performed the most audacious second act in history and brought back Apple to near death. Apple was never the same without him, i guess people don’t want history to repeat itself!
http://tinyurl.com/7uj5ay
It makes you sad doesn’t it. He is a legend..he changed the world like Gates did…makes you feel old to see your heroes say goodbye…
Best wishes, Steve. We’re all pulling for you.
The tech community’s thoughts and prayers are with Steve Jobs and his family during this difficult time. We want you healthy, Steve!
Apple shares to move down to 75$ soon [read a rumour on twitter]
Get well soon Mr Steve Jobs!
Glad to see he is taking care of himself. We are nothing without our health. Sending much support for a return to good health Steve!
You are in my prayers Mr. Jobs… you’ve given us the ultimate model on how to run a business, from your heart… get well soon brother.
Mr. Jobs {seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/b1gCd0W98x_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:”Mr. Jobs ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/hcrkijELnI”}}}
Napoleon, give me some of your tots.
MOD PARENT UP
Napolean Dynamite reads TechCrunch?
Napoleon Dynamite
Seriously though I hope that Jobs makes a full recovery, it must be tough having your health played out in the media so hopefully he is given space to recover!
Who’s this moron?
Stress really plays a role in your health and how you feel. I can imagine how much stress Mr. Jobs is under these last few years, taking Apple to new heights, and being a great leader for many thousands of people. I wish you the best Mr. Jobs, in your recovery you must remember to drink lots of water, this will help you heal.
All the best to you and Techcrunch in 2009 !
He’ll be back. Jobs is immortal!
My deepest condolonces to Steve and his family in these times ahead and wish them all the strength and hope to deal with everything over the coming months.
You write as if he were dead
Sending good vibes your way, Steve. Get well soon!
Good Juju for Steve Jobs (Facebook Group)
http://www.face...gid=21760177658
You’re boosting your ego with Steve? S-h-a-m-e on y-o-u!
Yikes. When its your time its your time. All the money in the world can not buy you “time”.
Hope the best for the guy and his family.
Hope he gets well soon, can’t imagine how frustrating it is for such a work-oriented person to be out of commission.
Get well Steve, you’re a hero to many of us.
I guess a lot of us owe Gizmodo an apology. As we’ve seen with the stock hit today, Steve’s health is relevant to anybody invested in Apple.
Where is the line drawn on health speculation? A lot of people lost money today. It may only be money, and it’s not nearly as important as a man’s health, but isn’t part of being the leader of a major company giving up some privacy when it comes to such matters? Isn’t it a sacrifice that has to be made?
ignorant comment
Why? What kind of d-bag says something is ignorant but doesn’t give their own side?
Apple stonewalled us on Jobs’ health, in spite of what was obvious to everybody. I’m not enough of a tool to say if this is right or wrong. I’m also not enough of a tool to say anybody who raised concerns about his health (like Gizmodo) were wrong to do so, as it was obvious Apple wasn’t being up front.
He is one of my heroes !
Get well, the family and health is first than anything !
Get Well soon Steve
All the best to you Steve, take the time you need!
nice cut and paste rom the WSJ.com
Mike, 2:01pm? You followed an embargo?
AAPL down $7 after hours
How credible is the copy/paste of the letter? Do you think there is a possibility this could have been fabricated or altered? Just wondering before I make final decisions. Apple shares are going to tank.
I sure hope TC cross-checked its sources before posting a story of such relevance.
Wish Steve a speedy recovery. This should shake the shorts out of the trees……
Wishing Steve Jobs all the best advice and guidance he can have to recover and live life with quality and fun. I hope he will look at the many wonderful products that the direct marketing companies produce to assist him in getting better.
Get well soon, Steve!
(I wonder what kind of doctor that is who’s telling you a whole different story every other consultation)
He is a hero and a national treasure. Take care.
Hope he gets well soon.
Steve Jobs has been denying so much and then we discover that yes, there was a problem.
Unfortunately the amount of denial usually correlates with the severity of the disease.
But nothing is “usual” with Steve Jobs, so let’s hope the better.
Get well soon steve
Feel better soon, Steve!
So all the indignation from the Apple community towards those questioning Jobs’s health was unwarranted? Go figure.
We wish Steve the best!
Tim has a tall order to fill, but I’m confident that Apple’s vision will remain focused on outstanding products.
This brought a tear to my eye. Steve is a icon.
Best Wishing and Health Steve!
Get well Steve! get back soon!
GET WELL SOON STEVE. YOU ARE THE INSPIRATION OF OUR LIFES
For the latest news coverage of Steves health and medical leave check out http://www.redu...eve_jobs_health
Before you sleep tonight, think about saying a few special prayers for Steve so that he’ll spring back ASAP and we’ll all reconnect in the early summer to find out what new plans the man has.
According to medical research, only 1-4% of people are stille alive 5 years after a pancreatic cancer has been detected.
For more detailed information about this terrible and deadly form of cancer : http://en.wikip...Pancreas_cancer
Steve Jobs announced his pancreatic cancer in August 2004.
I’m afraid he won’t never be back…
What percent of the people born in the US will end up CEO of a business like Apple? I wouldn’t be surprised to see Steve Jobs being one of the 1-4% that live after Pancreatic Cancer.
Uh here’s a newsflash for you — there is no relationship between being a good businessman and beating diseases like cancer. People get terminal illnesses no matter who they are, poor, rich, famous or not. Let’s wish him well and leave it at that.
I think this absence will be positive for Apple in the long run – the company needs to learn how to operate at the same level without Steve always being there, and if things do go wrong in the next 6 months, he’ll still be out there ready to swoop in and save the day.
Sadly, it’s obvious this is the last chapter in the saga of Steve Jobs.
Apple/Steve have a long history of hiding/downplaying the true details of his health. You can be sure when he says the issues are ‘more complex than I originally thought’, that the problem is very serious indeed. Read between the lines.
You don’t take 6 months off work for a flu. He’s clearly going into chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer- the same thing afflicting Patrick Swayze.
The only source of hope is that since his cancer was first detected years ago, he has hopefully been under close observation. Pancreatic cancer has a better survival rate if detected early.
I wish him the best. Pity, but we’ve all got to go sometime.
My prayers are with you, Steve… I hope you get better.
Get well soon Stevie J
Even the greatest are mortal…
Take care Steve… (Y)
Best CEO and founder ever. Get well soon Steve!
This is probably going to be the end of Steve Jobs career at Apple. I’m assuming he’s probably going through something a little more sever than he is sharing with us(I hope it’s not to sever). If he doesn’t decide to retire i doubt he will be back in June.
I do hope that you get well soon Mr. Jobs and wish you and your family the best.
Steve Jobs is one of the greatest leaders in history. This is including all presidents and world leaders. Whatever he says he is doing is fine with me(a dedicated fan). He would not do it if it were not necessary. Feel better Steve and take your time to get better. Wishing the best for you and your family and not just your company.
Are you kidding me? Get a life, fanboy.
Probably one of the dumbest things anyone on the internet has ever posted. He’s an accomplished, billionaire businessman. Not a “leader”. Don’t insult true world leaders with stupid statements like that.
I wish real Steve Jobs very well. Fake Steve Jobs lives still.
This is really sad, one of the great peoples on earth.