With the breaking news today regarding Apple’s Co-Founder/CEO Steve Jobs email announcement to employees that he will in fact be taking 6 months off from his day to day CEO duties to help focus on his health issues, one has to ask… how sick is Steve Jobs and is the current success Apple, Inc. is having in jeopardy if he simply can’t return to work?
These unanswered questions sent Apple’s stock (aapl) free falling and at one point was down as much as 8%.
So was Apple and Steve Jobs for that matter not truthful last week when Steve put out a letter explaining his rapid weight loss or is everyone too nosey and should just mind their own business?
Well, when it comes to a publicly traded company the CEO (especially in the case of Steve Jobs as he’s so hands on) has a responsibility to the shareholders to inform them of any possible reason he may need to leave his role in the company. Steve and Apple have maintained for months now that his health is not an issue… then all of a sudden it’s an issue. In my mind both he and Apple handled it poorly. If Steve was as sick as has been reported and as bad as some supposed friends had been telling people then by all means do what you have to do to get better, but don’t withhold that info from the public when you’re considered the most important CEO in the world to a publicly traded company.
While I respect ones privacy especially when it comes to health issues, it simply doesn’t fly in this instance considering how important Steve’s role is at Apple.
I myself am a happy Apple fanboy and although I love most of Apple’s products my allegiance only goes so far and in the end am still a thoughtful consumer. While I think the company and it’s ideas are more than one man’s… I also feel that so much importance is placed publicly on one guys ideas that I’m not quite certain Apple’s growth can sustain itself going forward if Steve’s symbolic role isn’t there.
Over the next 6 months Apple has a big challenge stock price wise, but more importantly leadership wise to publicly set a path for what happens beyond Steve. They really need to show everyone that Apple is an extremely healthy, smart company, with lots of cash on hand and that most importantly is made up of thousands of very smart hard working individuals that care just as much as Steve Jobs about the path the company takes. If not, we’ll see the same thing that happened to Apple in the early 90′s and in this economic environment… say goodbye to Apple as we know it.
Whatever happens my thoughts and prayers are with Steve and his family and I really hope he gets the proper diagnosis and that they can figure out a way to get him healthy and back to doing what he loves most.
My name is Bryan Hauer and I was born on January 11, 1976 in St. Paul, MN. Although my friends liked to kid me about it I am no relation as far as I know to the actor Rutger Hauer.
I grew up mostly in Minnesota and Wisconsin as I attended grade school in St. Paul, MN and junior high and high school in Racine, WI. After graduating high school I then went on to attend college in LaCrosse, WI.
Although I was born in Minnesota and lived there and Wisconsin most of my younger years, I've also lived in quite a few other states. 
