Complications
Following his attempt to end speculation over his health ten days ago, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has now revealed that things are a bit more complicated than he's hoped, regarding his health.
As his previous statement failed to silence the media he's decided to go on sick-leave until the end of June. Chief operating officer Tim Cook will handle day-to-day stuff, but Jobs will still handle the big decisions.
Here's the full text of his email to all Apple employees:
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
Apple's shares were down 7.42 percent to to $79 in pre market trading at time of writing.
UPDATE - 10:30 15th January 2009: Unsurprisingly this latest announcement has done the exact opposite of taking Jobs out of the limelight. Here's a taste of it from CNBC: