Steve Jobs suffering from a hormone imbalance, will remain CEO

[AppleInsider]

In an open letter to Apple fans Monday, Steve Jobs revealed that he's being treated for a hormone imbalance that has contributed to his rapid weight loss, but says he plans to remain Apple's CEO for the foreseeable future.

The decision to have marketing chief Phil Schiller deliver tomorrow's Macworld keynote "set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed," Jobs wrote, explaining that for the first time in over a decade he's spending the holiday season with his family, rather than intensely preparing for a presentation.

"As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority," he continued.

"Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause—a hormone imbalance that has been 'robbing' me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis."

Jobs said he's begun treatment for the nutritional problem. And while the solution is relatively simple and straightforward, he warned that it will take until late Spring for him to regain much of the weight he lost during the 2008 calendar year.

"I will continue as Apple’s CEO during my recovery," he wrote. "I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple’s CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first."

In a separate statement issued Monday, Apple's Board of Directors said "Apple is very lucky to have Steve as its leader and CEO, and he deserves our complete and unwavering support during his recuperation."

"It is widely recognized both inside and outside of Apple that Steve Jobs is one of the most talented and effective CEOs in the world," the statement said. "As we have said before, if there ever comes a day when Steve wants to retire or for other reasons cannot continue to fulfill his duties as Apple’s CEO, you will know it."

Jobs said he decided to share details of his personal situation with the Apple community so that everyone "can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow."

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[Mazda 3s]

So all of those people bashing Gizmodo are now eating crow?

That being said, GET WELL STEVE!

[amac4me]

Wishing Steve all the best in his recovery

[Megawatt]

That's good news for Steve, good news for Apple, and good news for shareholders.

[durin oakenskin]

All the best to Steve, get well soon.

[bloggerblog]

Steve, you've had our support for more than 29 years, including when you were at NeXT and Pixar, and you still have it.

[wheelhot]

Get well soon Steve :P, too bad we will miss ya at the last MacWorld, hopefully they create MW10 with Steve officially to end Apple appearance at MW.

[macxpress]

Hope he gets better quick...

Also hope this shuts everyone in the media up about Steve's health. Hopefully this won't overshadow what's going to be announced tomorrow.

[Hugh Jarse]

I am sad that media speculation made Steve feel the need to share this personal information, but I feel that he has handled it very well in his press release, and I pass on my sincerest best wishes for his recovery. Steve, the Apple community, and the world in general is very lucky to have you

[msantti]

Originally Posted by macxpress

Hope he gets better quick...

Also hope this shuts everyone in the media up about Steve's health. Hopefully this won't overshadow what's going to be announced tomorrow.

Well, I guess those that have said he would be dead at anytime can now go F*&K themselves.


I wish you a quick recovery Steve and hope to see you introduce some insane product in the coming year.

[bloggerblog]

So now every other stock went down except AAPL gained over 3.6%.
Apple stock is weird!

[AllenKids]

Originally Posted by Mazda 3s

So all of those people bashing Gizmodo are now eating crow?

That being said, GET WELL STEVE!

We all know Steve hadn't been well last year. But that Gizmodo piece claimed He Is Dying!!! And Won't Be Around the Coming Spring!!!

I'd say “Hormone Imbalance” is very far from what Gizmodo been implied days ago.

[macxpress]

Apple stock holders don't know if they're coming or going most of the time. They let the stock tank when it should rising and visa versa most of the time.

Wait until tomorrow...it WILL go down. It always does after a keynote no matter what Apple releases.

[jowie74]

I am so relieved to hear that it is not cancer-related and can be treated easily. I wish him a speedy recovery

[kendals]

I am VERY glad to that everything is OK with Steve and I for one am glad that he is taking some time off to spend with his family. In a position such as his, it is almost impossible to spend time with anyone outside of work, so Kudos to him for doing this.

That being said, I am sick and tired of the media constantly associating the "health" of Apple with the "health" of Steve. Apple Inc is a COMPANY not an INDIVIDUAL. Now, I know that Steve is the "Icon for all to follow", and everyone automatically associates Steve to Apple, but sooner or later, Steve is going to step down (just like Bill Gates did) and the COMPANY WILL SURVIVE! Apple will continue to punch out "insanely great" products and I imaging that their products will still be "edgy" and others will scramble to play catch up (but they never will ).

Myself.. I guess you could consider me a "fanboy", I love the products, have 6 Macs at home and iPod Touch's for every member of my family, and I love the simplicity of their systems (both hardware and software)..I have stock shares and have converted most of my family over to Macs, but I know that the company will survive and they will continue. I agree with Steve this his personal life should not be everyone's business, and in some ways I do feel sorry for him as it seems like he cannot have a personal life at all while at the helm of Apple. How many other CEO's do you know that are followed so closely as Jobs is?

[iReality85]

Looks like AI forgot to include the last line of Steve's letter? As it is over at M/R:

Originally Posted by Steve Jobs

So now I've said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.

Translation: "All you shut the f*ck up about my health!"

[VinitaBoy]

The most recent math:

Gizmodo = Stock Manipulators

I truly and fervently hope those jerkwads went short on AAPL with their "rumor" and lost their asses Friday and this morning. Damn all such analysts and in-the-know websites to hell.

New from NBC's Jim Goldman: "This is the day the shorts lose. Time to cover, and go slinking back into the shadows. Sing it with me: Bye, bye shorts. This should be the day the Apple shorts died."

[Doxxic]

I think it's really silly how this affects Apple's stock price.

Although I wish Steve all the best and though I know that he's really immortal, I better go save some money for Apple stock being a total bargain the day Jobs quits.

Still, when the pancreas news came some years ago AAPL hardly reacted.

[Fast Fred 1]

Steve needs to get off that rabbit food. Were carnivores Steve. We don't graze.
Eat more Red Meat!

[Fast Fred 1]

To see what would happen to Apple stock if Steve would get sick or die or step down as Apple's CEO. Actually, a pretty good test at that.

[Archipellago]

Originally Posted by Fast Fred 1

Steve needs to get off that rabbit food. Were carnivores Steve. We don't graze.
Eat more Red Meat!

1/ We are ominvores...we don't JUST eat meat.

2/ Eat more red meat? he doesn't eat any!

3/ If you are an example of people who do eat meat then it highlights why so many people don't.

[Haggar]

Originally Posted by kendals

That being said, I am sick and tired of the media constantly associating the "health" of Apple with the "health" of Steve. Apple Inc is a COMPANY not an INDIVIDUAL. Now, I know that Steve is the "Icon for all to follow", and everyone automatically associates Steve to Apple, but sooner or later, Steve is going to step down (just like Bill Gates did) and the COMPANY WILL SURVIVE! Apple will continue to punch out "insanely great" products and I imaging that their products will still be "edgy" and others will scramble to play catch up (but they never will ).

You mean like the first time that Steve left in the 1980's? If Apple could do so well without Steve, why did anyone want him back at all?

And how about the opinion that getting Steve out of Apple might be a good thing? Maybe with new leadership, Apple might start making computers that people want to buy, with features that people want, rather than just what Steve wants you to buy.

[SactoMan01]

Get well, Mr. Jobs.

But yet, I am not surprised he wrote this letter--there are MAJOR legal ramifications of Apple hiding Jobs' medical condition and Apple could have been sued for massive amounts of money if the company hid Jobs' medical condition to prop up the share price of Apple.

As for Jobs, how about eating some salmon and halibut steaks for a while? They're very low in LDL cholesterol and are very good for you in terms of protein input.

[teckstud]

This still sounds very strange. Hormonol imbalance is easy to detect by a simple blood test. And further- why wasn't/isn't he treated with a mild steroid (ingestible) to gain weight ? He could gain it back much faster than late spring. Also usually "bad" blood throws off the hormones- not the other way around. And finally why is this being mentioned the very day before MacWorld- he obviously won't be there. I think this only makes the situation worse for stockholders.
All in all- I wish him well.

[slapppy]

FINALLY! I'm getting sick and tired of these retards that continue to spout garbage out there. These idiots needs to apologize and STFU.

[MacTel]

Good to hear he got the diagnosis he needed and he's on the road to recovering his weight loss. Let's all wish him well.

I hope to see him lead WWDC just to see whether he's doing well. Honestly, he should just have his executive crew take the lead at WWDC and just focus on regaining his strength throughout 2009.

[alphajack7]

Steve's the one guy who has to gain weight after the holidays. Good luck!

[Not Unlike Myself]

When he eventually dies.. he'll be one of those people I'll think of constantly. Like a digital John Lennon.

[mdcat]

Originally Posted by Hugh Jarse

I am sad that media speculation made Steve feel the need to share this personal information, but I feel that he has handled it very well in his press release, and I pass on my sincerest best wishes for his recovery. Steve, the Apple community, and the world in general is very lucky to have you

Agreed, but it's just because Apple is so identified with Jobs and that the company's fortunes are considered to be much more dependent on his health than other companies' are on their CEOs that this needed to be addressed, and promptly.

[Virgil-TB2]

Originally Posted by Mazda 3s

So all of those people bashing Gizmodo are now eating crow?...

Nah.

This is what Gizmodo printed:

Originally Posted by Immature Idiot

Steves health is rapidly declining. Apple is choosing to remove the hype factor strategically vs letting the hype destroy apple when the inevitable news comes later this spring. This strategic loss will be less of a bang with investors. This is why Macworld is a no-go anymore. No more Steve means no more hype. Saying they are no longer needing [Macworld] is the cover designed by the worldwide "loyalty" department.

This immature poorly worded junk, clearly implies that Steve is at death's door, that he's being removed or stepping down as CEO, and that the whole Phil doing the MacWorld thing is "a cover" for a world-wide plot.

What Steve Jobs has now said is: "I've been losing weight lately."

This is like a little kid who comes running into the kitchen to breathlessly tell you the Garage is BURNING DOWN! But when he drags you over to look, you see that all it is is someone left a candle burning somewhere which, (left unattended) could, (maybe), potentially burn down the Garage if no one did anything about it.

[robb01]

Hopefully he will get better, he is a great CEO

________________

[Booga]

Originally Posted by Haggar

You mean like the first time that Steve left in the 1980's? If Apple could do so well without Steve, why did anyone want him back at all?

And how about the opinion that getting Steve out of Apple might be a good thing? Maybe with new leadership, Apple might start making computers that people want to buy, with features that people want, rather than just what Steve wants you to buy.

There's a big difference between an Apple that forced Jobs out and an Apple that Jobs has set up with a plan of succession.

Even so, while I love what Steve has done with Apple and its products, I wish he would just resign and focus on his health. I'd love to have him on the scene 30-40 years from now, but I feel like running Apple is driving his health into the ground. Just take a breather and get healthy Steve!

[Dzign]

We love you Steve and wish you all the best !

[shanmugam]

Get well soon Steve, spend some time with family ...

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by teckstud

This still sounds very strange. Hormonol imbalance is easy to detect by a simple blood test. And further- why wasn't/isn't he treated with a mild steroid (ingestible) to gain weight ? He could gain it back much faster than late spring. Also usually "bad" bood throws off the hormones- not the other way around. And finally why is this being mentioned the very day before MacWorld- he obviously won't be there. I think this only makes the situation worse for stockholders.
All in all- I wish him well.

Unless you are claiming that: (i) SJ is lying (despite the fact that it could create problems for him with the regulators) and (ii) You're a doctor, you should shut your mouth on this topic.

[Bergermeister]

Go Steve!

[monstrosity]

good news.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

Unless you are claiming that: (i) SJ is lying (despite the fact that it could create problems for him with the regulators) and (ii) You're a doctor, you should shut your mouth on this topic.

Wow -- so much for the "forum" concept...

[wilco]

Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2

Nah.

This is what Gizmodo printed:


This immature poorly worded junk, clearly implies that Steve is at death's door, that he's being removed or stepping down as CEO, and that the whole Phil doing the MacWorld thing is "a cover" for a world-wide plot.

What Steve Jobs has now said is: "I've been losing weight lately."

This is like a little kid who comes running into the kitchen to breathlessly tell you the Garage is BURNING DOWN! But when he drags you over to look, you see that all it is is someone left a candle burning somewhere which, (left unattended) could, (maybe), potentially burn down the Garage if no one did anything about it.

[ascii]

If he really wanted to stop the speculation once and for all, he should have given the exact name of the condition and what treatment he is taking. People only speculate when there's info missing.

That said, he is clearly a man who values his privacy and I wish him well.