It looks like everything is scripted, isn’t it? First Apple announce their last Macworld without Steve Jobs, then just a day before Macworld Steve addresses to the Apple community regarding his health problems and now post-Macworld, Steve is back again with another letter. This time he announces his medical absence from the company until the end of June.
In his letter to the Apple staff, he claims that the things turned out to be “more complex than he originally thought” and until his comeback, Tim Cook will take over as interim CEO with making himself available only for major strategic decisions. In the previous letter he had stated that he was suffering from some hormonal imbalance.
All these things actually point to a single outcome – Apple is undergoing succession planning. There is a possibility that top Apple executives must be knowing this and are actually prepared but is the world ready?
I am not saying that Jobs will surely step down but with the events turning up, this is very much on the cards. If Jobs announces his retirement sometime in June, people wouldn’t be as shocked as they would be now. Another reason could be the Apple stock prices. The sudden announcement of his retirement would send shock waves across the stock market which will be detrimental to Apple’s share price.
I really wish Jobs to be back with full force and prove my hunches wrong, but Apple and the iconic man are just being practical.
Here is the full email sent by him:
Team,
I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.
In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.
I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple’s day to day operations, and I know he and the rest of the executive management team will do a great job. As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan.
I look forward to seeing all of you this summer.
Steve
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