Steve Jobs' health situation has been the subject of many a rumour ever since he was diagnosed (and recovered from) pancreatic cancer. Only last week Jobs sent out an email telling the world he had a hormonal imbalance that caused him to look thin, and that the doctors said it would take a few months for him to recover. As it turns out, the situation is a little more dire than they anticipated.
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 Appleās 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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