A week after assuring his company and his industry that his health was not an issue, Steve Jobs, ceo of Apple Inc. (Cupertino, Calif.) has acknowledged that his health problems are “more complex” than he originally thought.
In a letter to Apple employees, Jobs wrote that he is taking a leave of absence because of health concerns after receiving more information about his condition over the weekend. He said he planned to return to Apple at the end of June and in the meantime would hand day-to-day control of Apple over to Timothy Cook, longtime chief operating officer. He said he would maintain the chief executive title and stay involved in major strategic decisions.
Jobs offered no new details about the cause of his health problems in this week’s letter. In a letter last week that was meant to calm fears about his condition, he said a “hormone imbalance” was robbing his body of proteins and causing him to lose weight. Jobs recovered from pancreatic cancer after surgery in 2004. Two people who are familiar with Jobs’ current medical treatment told the New York Times that he was not suffering from a recurrence of cancer, but a condition that was preventing his body from absorbing food. Doctors have also advised him to cut down on stress.
Cook joined Apple in 1998 from the now defunct Compaq Computer Corp. and has been responsible for the company’s manufacturing and sales operations.