Steve Jobs — not on the deathbed — has hormonal imbalance, will remain CEO

January 5, 2009 | Dean Takahashi | Comments |

Steve Jobs announced today that he has been losing weight throughout the past year because of a hormone imbalance that has been robbing his body of proteins. He said sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis and the remedy is a relatively simple treatment. He said his doctors expect it will take until this spring to regain his usual body weight.

” I will continue as Apple’s CEO during my recovery,” he wrote in a letter addressed to the Apple community.

Jobs made the rare public disclosure about his personal health because of the flurry of rumors set off by his decision to have Phil Schiller deliver the Macworld keynote, including stories of “me on my deathbed.” He said he decided to share the news “so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.” Jobs has been fiercely protective of his privacy, but his health has been much discussed because of his importance to Apple.

The announcement is sure to drive a spike in Apple’s stock price since Jobs is considered the architect of Apple’s turnaround and is vital to Apple’s future. Speculation on his health has been swirling for months since he appeared gaunt at his last major Apple speech in the summer. But Apple shareholders and everyone else in the Apple community will likely breathe a sigh of relief that this condition isn’t life threatening.

Apple’s board also made an announcement in support of Jobs.
Here’s the text of Jobs’ note:

Dear Apple Community,

For the first time in a decade, I’m getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.

Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.

I’ve decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.

As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.

Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause—a hormone imbalance that has been “robbing” me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.

The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment. But, just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple’s CEO during my recovery.

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. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first.

So now I’ve said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.

Steve

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About the Author, Dean Takahashi

Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

  • Stu
    So now we know Apple lied to everyone AGAIN.

    Dean, don't you feel somewhat gullible in that you seem to be taking Apple's new talking points as 100% truth? I might've missed it, but I didn't see even the slightest skepticism in your article.

    C'mon guys, I'm not saying this as a slam -- I honestly do expect more from you and MG in your reporting on this matter. (Happy _Opening the Xbox_ owner here!) While Jim Goldman natters on as if he still had any credibility left, don't be like that guy.
  • Hey Stu - Does something like this bring up skepticism? Sure. But the fact of the matter is that Apple now on public record has laid out the issue and said flat out that Jobs knows that if he can no longer serve as CEO he would step down -- and that his health issues will not require that.

    While Goldman seems to have been mislead by his Apple sources (in saying that health was not a factor), Gizmodo's story is still worse that Jobs was on his death bed (unless he's writing from his death bed which you can't believe is the case here). Reporting on health issues obviously isn't the easiest thing in the world for any tech blog, especially with so little info. In these cases, speculation can be very dangerous. We're just laying out what's out there.
  • Stu
    Goldman was misled by his Apple sources because he wanted to be misled by them. He exhibits exactly zero critical thinking about the information that he's being spoonfed -- which would include wondering why they chose him to be the gateway for their misinformation in the first place. Clearly it's because they know he'll swallow it up while attacking those who actually look at the situation logically and realistically, all under the high and mighty imprimatur of the CNBC brand.

    As for Gizmodo vs. Goldman, I'd say Gizmodo was closer to the truth. They didn't say he was on his deathbed, they said "Steve's health is declining rapidly." I'm guessing that looking at him, it was a reasonable assumption to make. From Jobs's release, he says that he's been losing weight *throughout 2008*. Have we even seen him since June? He looked sickly then, and in his own words has been losing weight ever since then.

    He says that it was only a few weeks ago that finding a solution became his top priority and he underwent further tests. Obviously a solution wasn't found right away, so more time has passed before a diagnosis was made and treatment begun. So it's pretty doubtful that there has yet been any significant improvement in his appearance, even if he is indeed on the road to recovery.

    What of Scoble's yogurt vendor? It's pretty obvious that all that mess was bogus, too. Does that just drop off into the memory hole along with all the other obfuscations, and we take Apple at its word whenever they next deign to talk or leak to the media?
  • I just wrote a quick blogpost on my medical thougts on mr. jobs’ health..I think prior to all that discussion the facts of his former illness and his current state of health should be stated. However, It would be nonserious to claim any finite and 100% sure statements…it’s just my thoughts as an MD and apple maniac

    http://lukas.zinnagl.com/2009/01/medical-though...
  • Interesting stuff, thanks for sharing Lukas
  • Eh...it sounds like Apple was using this in some twisted way for press coverage (hey most of the blogs are posting about it, and thus, Apple!). It's good to hear that Jobs will be around for a little longer, but the way Apple is headed now, a chimp could run it and keep it a huge, successful company.
  • 1st Tweets Timeline ~ $AAPL CEO Steve Jobs Letter on Health... http://tweetip.us/lkedr
  • mk
    not a health expert. But, does this mean Steve Jobs is half bitch, half man?