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本帖最后由 ypm968 于 2011-1-17 09:55 编辑
Apple CEO Jobs Takes Medical Leave, Cook to Fill In
By Matthew Campbell - Jan 17, 2011
Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs, a cancer survivor, was granted a leave of absence to focus on his health, putting the company in the hands of Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook for the third time in seven years.
Cook will be responsible for the day-to-day operations, with Jobs continuing as CEO, Apple said today, citing an e-mail to employees from Jobs. The Apple co-founder took an almost six- month break to have a liver transplant in 2009.
“I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can,” Jobs, 55, said in the e-mail. Jobs said he will continue to “be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.”
The current medical leave follows one for cancer surgery in 2004 and the transplant in 2009. In the 14 years since taking charge of Apple, he has transformed the business from a computer-industry also-ran into the world’s largest technology company by market value. He introduced the iPod, iPhone and iPad -- products that became the trendsetters in each of their markets.
“This comes as a surprise; there was no hint of trouble at all,” said Alexander Peterc, an analyst at Exane BNP Paribas in London. “The lack of a more precise indication on the length of the leave suggests there are long-term issues with his health.”
Apple spokesman Steve Dowling declined to comment beyond the statement. The company will likely face questions about the leave during a conference call with analysts tomorrow after Apple reports first-quarter financial results.
2009 Transplant
Apple shares fell as much as 8.9 percent in German trading, and were down 7.5 percent to 242 euros ($321.55) as of 4:45 p.m. in Frankfurt. The shares closed at $348.48 in New York on Jan. 14. U.S. markets are closed today for a holiday. U.S. stock futures extended losses after the announcement.
Jobs’s 2009 liver transplant took place at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The surgeon who performed the procedure, James Eason, is an expert in treating recurrences of a rare cancer Jobs said he had in 2004.
The cancer, called neuroendocrine tumor, was discovered in Jobs’s pancreas. While the tumor is often slow-growing, it can spread to the liver where it can become life-threatening. Eason said at the time that he had replaced the livers of about 10 people with the rare cancer. Jobs hasn’t said whether his transplant was done to treat a recurrence of the tumor. Eason didn’t immediately return a call placed to his office today.
Cook’s Role
Cook, 50, took over daily management for Jobs during his 2009 medical leave. Cook received total compensation of $59.1 million, including a special bonus and stock in recognition of “his outstanding performance” during that period.
The company was criticized by some investors at the time for not disclosing Jobs’s health issues sooner.
“Apple missed an opportunity to hand the day-to-day responsibility to another executive” earlier on, with Jobs focusing on broader ideas and design while taking care of his health, Michael Obuchowski, chief investment officer at First Empire Asset Management in Hauppage, New York, said in an e- mail. “I am worried that the current decision to keep Steve Jobs as CEO is another mistake.”
In 2004, Cook also filled in for Jobs while he recuperated from surgery for the tumor in his pancreas. After the treatment, Jobs looked thinner at events through 2008 and the company’s stock fluctuated amid speculation about his health. He announced he was taking time off in January 2009.
“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,” Jobs said in the e- mail to employees that was released today.
Jobs, who co-founded Apple in 1976 at the age of 21, was ousted by the board in 1985. When he returned to the company in 1997, it had run up $1.86 billion in losses over two years. Apple was 90 days away from bankruptcy, Jobs would later say. The company is now the second most valuable behind Exxon Mobil Corp.
To contact the reporters on this story: Matthew Campbell in Paris at mcampbell39@bloomberg.net;
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Vidya Root at vroot@bloomberg.net |
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狗仔卡
发表于 2011-1-17 12:46 PM
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发表于 2011-1-17 01:01 PM
