Apple's Jobs Takes Leave From CEO Role

Written by Ryan Lawler

Wednesday, January 14. 2009 at 05:25 PM EST Post a comment

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Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs announced that he was taking a leave of absence from his leadership role within the company, citing health-related issues that he says have become a distraction for the company.

The news breaks just a week after Steve Jobs issued an open letter claiming that he would continue to operate as Apple's CEO while recovering from a nutritional problem that was recently diagnosed.

"I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple's CEO," he wrote on Jan. 5.

But a lot can happen in a week. Today, in a letter to Apple employees, Jobs writes, "During the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought."

As a result, Jobs announced that he will be taking a leave of absence that is expected to last until the end of June. In his absence, Jobs writes that Apple COO Tim Cook will handle day-to-day operations.

But have no fear -- while Cook will be in charge of making sure the company continues to run each day, Jobs will still be around to help with major strategic decisions, according to the letter.

The full text is copied below:

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