Technology news and Jobs 
VIRTUALISATION Apple's Steve Jobs back on the job
VIRTUALISATION Apple's Steve Jobs back on the job | Apple's Steve Jobs back on the job |
|
| by Stephen Withers | |
| Tuesday, 30 June 2009 | |
  
Featured Whitepaper
5 Best Practices for Smartphone Support
The phrase "We are very glad to have him back" was used by at least two spokespeople, illustrative of the PR strategy of staying on message. Apple came in for criticism for not releasing what several commentators saw as relevant information about Jobs' health. An argument was made that his role at the company is so pivotal that investors could not accurately gauge the value of Apple without knowledge of his health. Stock market doyen Warren Buffet recently described Jobs' liver transplant as a "material fact" that should have been disclosed immediately. His choice of words has been taken to mean that he believes Apple may have breached laws and/or regulations requiring the timely disclosure of material information. Jobs underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer in mid 2004. The operation was followed much speculation about his health, largely due to his haggard appearance associated with a significant loss of weight. Last December, Apple announced that Macworld Expo 2009 would be the last time it exhibited at the event, and that senior vice president of worldwide product marketing Phil Schiller would deliver the keynote - a task normally performed by Jobs. Then in mid-January, Jobs issued an open letter revealing that his weight loss was thought to be the result of "a hormone imbalance" with a "relatively simple and straightforward" treatment. Earlier this month, a US hospital confirmed (with Jobs' permission) that the Apple CEO had received a liver transplant . There had previously been unconfirmed reports that the surgery had taken place. Although Jobs notionally continued to serve as CEO during the leave of absence (and was said to have been involved in various decisions), his routine tasks were handled by COO Tim Cook. According to some commentators, Cook's performance during the period has cemented his position as Jobs' heir apparent. |
Tags
| < Next story in category | Previous story in the category > |
|---|
