- January 18th, 2011 by Nathan Fischer
In 2009, Steve Jobs took a medical leave of absence from Apple citing health issues. Several months later, we learned that the Apple CEO had a liver transplant and was recovering well. Fast forward two years later to present day, and he’s taking a leave of absence again. This time, he hasn’t set a specific time for when he’ll return.
Jobs sent the following e-mail to the team at Apple:
Team,
At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.
I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple’s day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.
I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.
Steve
That last line has some people believing that he may never return, but it’s a little too early to speculate on that. Even if Jobs ultimately hands over the CEO reigns to Tim Cook, he would have accomplished probably more than he could have imagined during his second term at Apple.
Get well soon, Steve.
[Apple]
