Steve Jobs has sent an email out to Apple staff announcing that he’ll be going on medical leave to “focus on his health”. It’s not clear what the cause of Jobs’ absence is yet, or how long he’ll be out. Click through for the full letter Steve Jobs sent out to Apple staff today…
Tim Cook will be stepping in to take over day to day duties this time around, but Jobs will remain as CEO. Cook, Apple’s COO, took over as CEO last time Steve Jobs was taken ill early in 2009, and managed to make a cracking job of filling the boots Steve Jobs left behind.
Here’s the full letter:
“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 Jobs has not let on what he’s battling here – is he just struggling with such a quick comeback after his previous illness, or has it resurfaced? There’s an Apple earnings call tomorrow which might reveal more about what we can expect in the next few months, and how long Jobs is scheduled to be out for. We’ll update when we hear more.
Can Tim Cook do it again? Shout out in the comments!
[via Reuters]
